It's Beginning to Look a Little Like Halloween!

It's Beginning to look a lot little like Hallowe'en!

Hello Hello....not sure who is still haunting the halls over here in Halloween Town, as I've been MIA for most of this year so far. I've certainly missed reading about all things spooky and ookie, but it's been a busy year for me. I thought I'd attempt to make a post here and there along the way, but time kept on "tickin', tickin', tickin', into the future".....so I figured I should just wait until Autumn was a little closer so that I could write, out of 'anticipation and excitement' once again.

Garden Ridge

Garden Ridge

It's hotter than Hades here in the Sunshine State, so it's hard to believe that Autumn is just around the bend. In fact, there are already Autumn and Halloween items slowly creeping their way into area stores here, like Michael's, JoAnnes, The Dollar Store and Garden Ridge.

And I am well aware that the ever-earlier and earlier creep of Halloween merchandise into stores is a 'bone' of contention for some...but I try never to look a headless gift-horse in the mouth.

However, I must complain loudly about Hobby Lobby having their entire Christmas section up while only having a few Autumn rows, and NO HALLOWEEN at all! A full Christmas section in JULY?! With no Halloween to be had? That's just downright dastardly if you ask me!

Hobby Lobby

Anyway, I have missed everyone here so much. Time just flies by at warp speed lately it seems, and I never have enough time to do all that I'd like to do. But, I hope everyone is starting to feel a little spark of electricity in the air as the first signs of the season begin to emerge. I know I always thrill to my first Halloween sightings....even when they are in July, because it is that gradual buildup, and weekly trips to the stores to see what is new that I enjoy so much. In fact, I also found my very first Autumn Magazine at Target too....
Phyllis Hoffman Celebrate Autumn!
So I will be making an effort to sweep the dust off of my doorstep, and clear the cobwebs out of my cauldron, so I can get back into the swing of things here in Halloween Town, and I look forward to checking in on everyone's blog to see what I've missed! :o)

Pre Halloween Havoc

Well....I'm back....momentarily anyway! And I can officially report signs of Halloween in my corner of the globe. I do apologize for the long stints between posts, but you'll remember that life was officially giving me a little 'butt-whoopin' when last I posted! And unfortunately that coincided with my 'chitlins' return to school this week, and the collapse of my old computer. That collapse FORCED me to start using my big bad new computer that I had custom built for me months ago to aide me in my work. I should have been using it from the start, but old habits die hard, and with the new computer would come a HUGE transfer job of files,programs and email addresses, a new operating system, hardware updates and an updated Photoshop version that was a whopping 3 levels newer than my version. (Proof that I am a creature of habit and really resist changing things that appear to work, even though they may very well make my life exponentially better.) So while 'Ole' Nelly' was in the shop getting a new motherboard put in her, I was being forced to get acquainted with Hercules. Yes, this bad boy computer is named Hercules because he is one powerful machine. So I have been up for days and nights on end trying to learn all sorts of new things in order to transition myself to a better life via a much better computer. This has not been easy or fun mind you. Hercules is a very complex kind of guy, and therefore he requires a lot of work getting to know him. But we are slowly warming up to one another. It really is a lot of work to get things running on a 64 bit system when you are not really a computer guru....but once things finally started falling into place, I realized how extremely fast and efficient Hercules is compared to 'Ole' Nelly....bless her heart!As for her....well she has been doctored up once more and has come home to live out the rest of her days. I promptly began getting all my important documents off of her and moving them over. And once I've finished saving everything that I should have saved months ago, (BEFORE she died and I had to pay for a new motherboard just to get my stuff off of her) I will keep her shut off and only turn her on again for nostalgic reasons. But needless to say....the timing of going through this GARGANTUAN computer overhaul was suckish to say the least because of the kids starting a new school at the same time. Lots of the files from the school were stuck on the old computer and things have kind of been in chaos. Plus we've had meetings and VB games at this school every day/night now for the last two weeks. Hopefully, we are starting to settle things down some because I have lots of work I need to catch up on, and Halloween is coming around fast.
Speaking of....I found the much anticipated BH&G Halloween magazine on the news stand last night....I was SO excited! And I know that many of you have been reporting on the stores in your areas who have begun putting out their Halloween merchandise. I have 4 HomeGoods stores in my area that I travel around to, and they are all stocked with the Halloween goodies. Although my personal opinion is that I am not quite as impressed with their selection this year so far. I've found very few things that I couldn't live without. But as the years go by, I've also found that I am becoming a very picky Halloween snob shopper! Michael's has their stuff out, as well as Pier 1, Old Time Pottery and Hobby Lobby! Owls seem to be big this season, just as the Halloween Trend Reports I blogged on stated they would be. That suits me just fine, as I adore Owls. But again.....I am a very picky Owl shopper as well. I've posted some items from Hobby Lobby for you to see. If you are into Owls...then that's a good place to go! And lastly, our Halloween stores are slowly stocking their shelves to open in September. So it looks like Halloween is on it's way.....Hooray!

First Find.....Celebrate Fall!

Oh Splendid Day! Guess what I found last night by happy accident? Drum roll please....
THE VERY FIRST FALL MAGAZINE ON THE NEWSTAND!! At least it's the first one that my lil' peepers have seen. Now I wasn't even looking for, nor expecting, to see any of those out yet....but there she was tucked into the Home Decor section! "Phyllis Hoffman's Celebrate FALL!" Woo Hoo! Pumpkins on the front, nice fall photographs, recipes and entertaining ideas inside. It's not the 'Halloween' issue, but that makes no never mind to me.....as beggars can't be choosers! I'll take it....because just that one little sighting has lifted my spirits and caused my Halloween antennae to spark ever so slightly! {zap zap}
And speaking of 'Soaring Spirits', as if that weren't gift enough....I also picked up a "Romantic Country" magazine and lo and behold if it didn't say "Magical Rooms" and "Charming and Spooky Halloween Decor" on the front. Say what???? I snatched that thing open so fast I almost sprained my fingers. Now mind you....this is a 'Decorating' magazine, so it's filled mostly with pretty rooms and decor ideas. But there was one article titled "Let Spirits Soar", which was about Halloween decor. The room was styled and photographed by LuLu Tapp and what a fab job she did too. I really loved the natural, neutral tones of ivory and white....very sophisticated and classy in a natural way. But still with a touch of the macabre, as two skeletons hold vigil at the dining room table. LOVED it! As for the magazine....that is the only Halloween related story, but the rest of it is great too if you are into Decorating.

So count me officially stoked, because these lil' sightings o' mine, can only mean that more good things are on the way! :o)

Open Letter to Mischeivous Martha

Oh Martha, Martha, Martha! You teasing lil' temptress you! As much as I love you and your minion of fab designers, I must say that your trickery is just not polite. It's really uncool to trick those of us who love Halloween into buying yet another one of your Halloween 'Been There, Done That' magazines by putting a brand new cover on it and calling it a Halloween Handbook. Yes, you almost got me again with your same old tricks. How many times do I have to fall for that before I quit taking the bait? Either come out with an entirely new mag or don't put one out at all next season, capiche?!

Actually...I must confess, I didn't fall prey to your sorcery this year, because I was given a swift 'heads up' from a fellow Halloween Head who warned me there was nothing 'new' about this 'new' magazine of yours. I did of course have to thumb through it myself just to verify, but she was right....just a new cover.

So I left the bookstore and drove to Michael's with a scowl on my face while cursing you under my breath....only to discover that they just put out your new Halloween line of stickers, papers and goodies. And all it took, was just one look and you were back into my good graces. There were so many nifty items I had a hard time choosing. (Did I mention that I am addicted to paper goods, stationary and office supplies....it's a really strange illness that dates all the way back to my childhood. So for me, going into Michael's is like a Rx Drug addict hanging out at the Walgreens Pharmacy.)

So anyway, I thought I'd post some of the uber cool stickers I scored. There were basically two themes working there....a 'Vampire' line and a 'Sort of Retro' looking line. Can't decide which ones I dig the most. But I can think of a lot of fun projects to make with these. As for you Martha? You are nothing but an 'ENABLER'!

Death Becomes Her

I've always considered myself to be a little weird and I'm proud of it! This is a fact that I've been well aware of most of my life. But I have now been certified strange thanks to the 'Strange' Blog Award I just received from Magical Seasons. Thank you so much, I consider that to be a high honor indeed. So I figured today's post should also obviously be a little 'strange' just to go with the theme at hand. As a photographer and a female....I enjoy viewing images from Fashion Photo Shoots. But as a bonafide Halloween lover, imagine my devilish delight at finding the incredibly macabre artwork of Fumie Sasabuchi. He juxtaposes the main stream notion of high fashion and beauty with the kiss of death, in a fantastically creative yet somewhat disturbing way. How so? Well he begins with pages from fashion editorials, then draws on top of them with a ball point pen and colored pencils. His morbid, newly fashioned hybrid art could aptly be placed in a category all it's own... 'Death Fashion' or ' Zombie Vogue' perhaps. His work has been shown at a solo exhibition in Berlin. And I find it just strange enough to make me smile. :o) Now go forth and be 'strange'!All Artwork © Fumie Sasaabuchi

Halloween Addict

"Hi, my name is Wendy and I'm an addict.....a Halloween Addict!"

Oh Happy Day! Today is a happy day and do you know why? Because all 4 local HomeGoods stores have begun putting out their Halloween merchandise. I know there's still a lot more to arrive over the coming weeks of course, but I FINALLY got my fix.

So I did pick up a few things like a cool ceramic Jack O'Lantern for starters. They have a lot of really neat Venetian Halloween Masks made in Italy. Pier 1 had some nice ones last year and I got a great Witch one that hangs permanently on my mirror over my dresser. And I just picked up a pretty purple hand-held Crescent Moon Mask tonight! I also ran into a Michael's with 4 minutes til' close and they had a full section of Halloween stuff finally. However I was accosted by a sinister snarling mad-man mean store clerk, who came by and tried to shoo me out the door claiming they were closed. Of course I argued with him that I still had 4 minutes to look, (which I did dang it), but he belligerently insisted that they were closed. So I cursed him under my breath, or put a little curse on him, I forget which.....and quickly tried to scan the inventory really fast. However, I couldn't ascertain if there was anything that I hadn't seen before or couldn't live without. I must now go back.

I can also report on 2 more items. I did check out the Cracker Barrel and they were stocked up with lots of Halloween/Fall goodies. Thank you to Jennifer at All That Glitters for the 411 on that! I also found the 1st Fall magazine...'Celebrate Fall with Phyllis Hoffman'. This was the first seasonal mag I found last year too, and I really liked it. So when I saw the crisp new stack of them on the shelf, I grabbed it excitedly and was going to buy it sight unseen. But at the last second, I decided to take a little sneak peek inside and found that I didn't like it at all. I was so disappointed. Boo Hiss! There was nothing Halloween related in it at all, and it was mostly food and recipes. I think her operating budget must have dwindled since last year. So I did not even buy it. I must now wait for Martha Stewart, Country Home and the Fall Somerset mags to arrive. Of course what I would really love to get my slimy lil' hands on are these wonderful vintage 'Dennison Party Magazine and Bogie Books'. Don't you just totally dig those vintage Halloween graphics? But sadly these go for a lot of $$$ nowadays and are hard to come by unless you want to pay a fortune for them on E-bay. For some background info on these swell books, check out Mr. Macabre's post on the Dennison books.

Oh....and I also should mention that I received my 'Fall Sneak Peek Victorian Trading Co.' catalog in the mail and there are lots of spooktacular items in there. And they are far superior to what I've seen thus far in the stores. So if you don't already subscribe to this catalog, I would if I were you! I may have to do most of my purchasing on-line and through catalogs this year if things keep going the way they are. Or maybe I've just been around enough Halloweens by now that it's hard to impress me anymore...not sure. But if you have HomeGoods stores in your area...go check them out! And I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Has Halloween been Hi-Jacked?

Okay...so yesterday was my birthday and this weekend was spent in meetings and relaxing, so I didn't get any blogging done. But I am happy to report that my Toad from Hell has been evicted from the premises, whereby he quickly took up residence in our pool for awhile before 'easing on down the road'! However, my resolution still stands in tact, and I shall not be using the back bathroom ever again. Moving on....

There is something that is irking me and I can't help but wonder if anyone else is noticing this in their neck of the woods. But it is now my belief that someone has Hijacked Halloween this year. Like I said, my birthday was yesterday August 2. (These super cool Halloween graphics were sent by my fabulous friends and I thought they were worthy of sharing.) So... if we could rewind the clocks back to this same time last year, we would be seeing a completely different scenario from this year. By that I mean, in the last several years, the very first of the Halloween merchandise has begun to hit the stores 1-2 weeks prior to my birthday.

First and always first, is of course Michael's. It is a 'craft' store, so it only makes sense that they need to get their seasonal stuff in much earlier, so that crafters have the opportunity to craft things prior to their holiday shows in the Fall. And so Michael's usually always has their Autumn things out, just as they have had out this year. But they also usually have at least 2 full rows of Halloween goods, namely their little collectible haunted house thingies that make a bunch of wailing and screaming noises. But NOT this year! Fall yes, Halloween....not so much. 2 end caps of assorted glittery skull stuff was all that was out at all of our area Michael's stores. What's up with that? Why the delay?

Now my favorite store of all for Halloween items is a store called HomeGoods. We have about 4+ of them around us so the pickings are always great. And my husband goes out to the HomeGoods stores the week before my birthday and scopes out the first offerings, picking me up a thing or two for my birthday. Then on the weekend of my birthday, I get to be driven around to all the HomeGoods, Michael's and Joanne's stores to spend my birthday money and bask in all the deliciousness of the upcoming Halloween season. But NOT this year!!!! No, he went to each and every HomeGoods several times in the last 2 weeks and there was STILL no Halloween. He finally got frustrated and asked someone what was up. And they said that they in fact do usually have their Halloween merchandise out before now, but for some reason this year it is late. And it is also late at Michael's and Joanne's.

So I believe there is a conspiracy going on. A Hi-jacking of Halloween this year. I don't know who the perpetrator might be however....but I think Santa Clause or the Easter Bunny are prime suspects. Maybe even the economy or a trucker shortage that I've been hearing about. But all I know and care about is the fact that whoever is responsible for this atrocity should have to pay for ruining my well laid birthday plans! I even went back to my blog during these dates last year and found that sure enough...Halloween is later in coming this year. In fact, I think there were even a few magazines already out by the end of July last year and at my last check, which was Sunday....there were still NO Halloween mags out yet here. (Proof...Last year, Halloween Super Store began opening by July 10 and "Celebrate Fall" magazine was out by July 21st.)

So I am heading out again today....and by golly I better find some signs of Halloween or I'm staging a public protest in the town square! So what about the rest of you? Anything more than a few Halloween end caps at your Michael's or is this just an East Coast Hallo-shortage?

Martha's October Magic

Hello again! This is my second post of the day. I decided to go ahead and put this one here because I wanted to share this news with anyone who might have been hiding under a rock and not seen Miss Martha's 'other' magazine for this month. Martha Stewart LIVING magazine for October is fabulous. It's titled the 'Magic of Fall'! I had already picked up her Hallowe'en magazine of course, but I have to be completely honest and say that I like this one better. The cover is great. I would imagine most of you have picked this up already, but if you haven't, then you should. It has some wonderful Hallowe'en ideas in it, plus is chock full of gorgeous photos of pumpkins and gourds, scary looking plants and the most beautiful gravestones. I've had mine for awhile, and I did thumb through it and look at the pretty images, but I had saved it to read more closely on the plane today. So I guess I will curl up in my bed with it tonight. Go grab one while you can.

Update #2: Okay, first of all, thank you so much for all of your well wishes and bids of sympathy for our canceled trip. I am dressed in all black as a public display of my mourning...ha! We took our daughter to the doctor. And we were told that yes she has flu of some sorts, and most likely it is H1N1 (aka Swine Flu) only because everyone that is walking in their door is testing positive for it right now. She said it is everywhere here, in all the schools. GREAT! So they offered to give her the rapid flu test to confirm, and if it were positive for H1N1 Flu ONLY, then they would give her the antiviral Tamiflu.

However, my daughter knows what a horrible test this is and refused to take it, as her 6 year old brother was given the test when he had strep earlier in the year just as a precaution, and he said it 'shocked his brain'! Ouch! So the doc said to just take her home and treat it as you would any flu, and if it gets worse come back. So we all came home and took naps. Her fever jumps back to 103 when the meds wear off. I also have a low grade fever of 99.8 and am extremely tired with upset stomach, but I am not feeling like I have the bad flu that she has yet. So now that she has suffered a while, she is ready to go back to the Nite Lite clinic and get the test in hopes of getting the Tamiflu to make her better. So off we go again. Thanks again for your well wishes and don't forget to pick up this magazine. I will be posting something new and un-Flu related tomorrow in hopes of a better day! The positive to all this is that now I have this weekend to do my Hallowe'en decorating that I haven't had a chance to get to yet. Assuming that I myself do not get any sicker. So see...always try to think positive! :o)

Target Hallowe'en & Country Living

Hooray, Hooray....I can officially report that my closest Target store has begun stocking the Seasonal shelves with Hallowe'en Goodies Galore! Yep...yours truly spent about 2 hours yesterday at Target getting chummy with the 'lucky employee' who was assigned to opening up the the Hallowe'en boxes. I wasn't even going to venture to the back corner of the store because there were no Hallowe'en cards in the front, and I didn't care to have my haunted lil' hopes squelched by the site of discounted school supplies and garden goods. But I made a last minute decision that the walk couldn't hurt, and thought that maybe I would pass some housewares on the way...though I didn't!

Imagine my utter exuberance at finding the area somewhat cleared out, and the Hallowe'en signs hanging from the rafters. I just about did a happy dance right there in the aisle. I quickly started scanning the shelves that had things on them already, and as I made my way into the center section...I spotted the 'lucky employee' pushing out a cart stacked with boxes. I stealthily moved in closer to him for some recon, while pretending to be extremely interested in the 5 items that were already on the shelves next to him. Finally, I thought I would implode if I didn't say something. So I professed to being SO VERY excited to find Hallowe'en merchandise being put out. Apparently sensing a fellow Hallowe'en Head....the employee was quick to jump into conversation, and welcome me closer to peer into the boxes as he unloaded them. I had become the VIP of the Seasonal section at Target.

'Lucky Employee' looks forward to opening the seasonal boxes too it seems, and he even said that they've been there since July. He said that the employees finally couldn't stand it any longer themselves, so they started opening boxes to see what was new. While we talked, he pulled out decorative skull candles that bleed when they are burned, haunted houses that looked more like castles this year, haunted books that move around on the shelf, stone statues whose eyes light up red, candelabras, party goods, costumes, and what appears to be this year's main theme....SKELANIMALS! They are an assortment of black Halloween animals that have a white skeleton painted on top. I thought they were pretty cute so I bought a couple to share with you. Of course I picked Oliver the Owl and Kit the Cat! They were on key chains, pillows, blankets, pumpkins...you name it!

We also discussed our shared frustration at how Target will NEVER allow us to take the store signs when the holiday is over, but rather they throw them away instead. What a complete waste! But apparently it has to do with copyright issues and not wanting other stores to use their merchandising materials. That makes sense...but still....I could really make use of them as props in my photography, not to mention decor. We had such a great time chatting while he worked, that I really didn't want to pull myself away, but I felt I may have been crossing the line between 'customer' and 'stalker', so I decided to give the dude a break and leave...ha!

On my way out, I went past the magazine rack and guess what I found? Country Living is now out, as is another Phyllis Hoffman magazine, called "Celebrate Halloween". I think she is trying to give ole' Martha a run for her money. I must say, that I do like her magazines...very nice styling and photography. Country Living though, wasn't all that wonderful, but I'd still get it because I am insane that way...ha! So for those of you who haven't made your rounds to Target in the last few days....go now....the unveiling has begun! :o)

She's Come To Haunt the Party!

OMG....IT'S HERE! Well maybe not officially in your neck of the haunted woods, but the first sightings of the Martha Stewart Halloween Magazine have been reported. So start checking your newsstands and bookstores now. It's already out in some areas according to other blogs, so I'm just passing along the exciting news. I could not find it on her website though. I have my hubby checking the bookstore on his way home from work today, but my guess is, it won't be out just yet. I love the cover because I myself had been throwing around a 'Victorian' witchy look for this year, so I can just bet I'm going to love this issue. Speaking of Hallowe'en costumes, if any of you ghouls and guys has any suggestions or ideas on how to create a 'Victorian' witch costume...please offer them up here, or give me links to places with images or items that could be used. I'd be much obliged! Happy Hump Day!

Magazine Madness

Well it's time for a round-up of the Hallowe'en Magazines that I've been able to find so far. My two favorites (Martha Stewart & Country Living) are still MIA. But I have found a few more that I've been enjoying. I also found a book by Matthew Mead. I had gotten a magazine of his last year and I liked it. But this is a larger book titled "Matthew Mead's Monster Book of Halloween"! The other titles I've found in the last couple of weeks are "Better Homes & Garden's Special Interest Issue - Halloween Tricks & Treats", "PaperCrafts" Sep/Oct Issue, "Harvest Baking" by Land O' Lakes, and one I've never seen before called "Create & Decorate".

I must also give an excited honorable mention to another magazine that just came in the mail today. You see we are AAA members, and as such, you automatically have a subscription to their bi-monthly travel magazine "Going Places". The issue I got today is the Sep/Oct issue. And imagine my delight at finding Pumpkins on the cover and the main title touting, "Fall's Here...Pumpkin Patches & Spooky Happenings". Can't wait to check it out. I don't do any reviewing since all art is subjective....but they are starting to hit the shelves fast and furious so keep your eyes out for them. Hooray for Fall!

Ghostly Wails and Untold Tails

I went into Barnes & Noble a few days ago to see if by chance they had started putting out any of their Halloween books for children or adults. Unfortunately they had not. But I did discover something that was really fabulous. Of course you all know that I am from Florida, and all life long Florida residents are required to be huge Disney fans by law. So I was in the magazine section looking for Fall Arts, Crafts or Decorating mags when my third eye spied something ghostly hovering over to my right. I whip my head around to see a large painted image of Disney's Haunted Mansion on the cover of a magazine that I had no idea existed until that very moment. So I run over there, snatch it up and proceed to remove it from it's cellophane bag. I think to myself that this hygienic approach to keeping the magazine in pristine condition is just SO WALT DISNEY!

The magazine is called Disney twenty-three, and I had stumbled onto the Fall 2009 edition. And what a lucky witch I was too, because this is a VERY nice, VERY cool magazine in it's own right. But to have the cover and main story to be all about the Haunted Mansion...well it was just simply kismet I tell you. When the cover entices with a title like, "Ghostly Wails and Untold Tales, from inside the Disneyland Haunted Mansion", you KNOW it has to be good. It is chock full of wonderful little inside stories about the mansion, the ghosts and the Imagineers who created the ride. It of course has fabulous photos and artwork too. AND...as if that weren't ghostly enough for mere mortals like myself...the title 'Haunted Mansion', and one of the ghouls inhabiting the cover painting actually Glow in the Dark....now how grand is that? The cover could and should be matted and framed, as it is quite large and a truly fabulous piece of art. Did I mention that this is an over sized magazine and the newsstand price is a rather hefty $15.00? Tis' true, but to a Disney/Haunted Mansion/Ghost lover like me, it's well worth the price of admission as all things associated with Disney always are. You can check out the magazine on the D23 website where they even share a few Haunted Mansion Magic Tricks. I've posted a video below of a tour through the mansion in California if you want a closer look at the ride. As for the magazine, I could not locate it on the B&N website, but it was available in the store. So if you want one, you best capture it quickly before it vanishes like a........GHOST in the night!

Oh, and one final cool piece of info about the attraction itself.....in celebration of the 40th birthday of Disneyland's Haunted Mansion, four guests won a chance to spend one night in the famed attraction on August 9th. How Spooktacular would THAT be!!!

Celebrate Fall

In my mind, summer is but a dead season that lingers around far too long here in Florida. So I mark July 5th as my official countdown to Hallowe'en.

Official Update: As we've already noted here....several of us have found that Michael's was first out with Fall Flowers this year....and as of this weekend, ours officially has 2 rows of Hallowe'en merchandise...woo hoo! I can also gleefully report findings of Hallowe'en/Fall merchandise at , Old Time Pottery, JoAnne's, Kirklands, Yankee Candle and of course the seasonal Hallowe'en Store that I spoke of in a previous post. It is trickling out a little earlier this year...but still slowly it seems. Or maybe I'm just too impatient. The other thing I wait for eagerly each year at this time is the first magazines with Fall themes. The standards are Martha Stewart, Matthew Mead (Click here for free Hallowe'en Templates), Southern Living and many other crafting, decorating, home, garden and vacation mags. Well I was having no success until I came across this one at JoAnne's...it's called "Celebrate Fall" by Phyllis Hoffman. I've actually never seen this mag before, so this is a new treat for me this year. It covers the Autumn Holidays and Occasions like Back to School, Tailgating, Oktoberfest, Hallowe'en and Thanksgiving. It has decorating and food ideas like 'Witches Night Out' for Hallowe'en, Tastes of Fall, Outdoor Decore and Simple Centerpieces, etc. The photography is very nice, there are lots of recipes and it's a great Fall Find at $7.99. Is it Martha? No...but then who is! And I know how subjective taste and opinion is, so I am not reviewing or doing any recommending here....just giving a heads up for those of you who love the holiday mags, to keep an eye on your local bookstores. :o)