Halloween Shakers
In my hunts for vintage Halloween items, I came cross some shakers. They were vintage and had a $40 price tag! As
I really looked at them I realized that they would actually be really easy to
make. First I started with some circle paper boxes and cut a hole in the center
of one of the sides. I stuck a dowel rod into it and tacky glued it at both
sides inside. I let it dry overnight.
Then I poured about ¼ cup of dried beans inside and glue the
lid on it. Now it was time to get creative!
I would consider myself to have an average crafter skill level for
painting. My secret to painting is to take
a picture that you already like and really look at it as you paint each
section. If you do it free style it may
not turn out very good. Having a
reference picture really helps. Also if
possible, paint the lighter areas first.
It’s hard to paint white over black, etc. For some of them I even used a
sharpie to get the fine details. I decided to paint both sides with different
pictures. Don’t forget to paint the dowel rods!
Once dry, I glued ribbons or trims along the center to both
embellish and also cover up the section between the lid and the box. Let it dry and shake away!
Ahhh Nuts!
Back in the early 1900’s nuts were perceived to provide
guidance on matters of the heart. They were abundant at harvest time and very
popular. People would often chant and circle a walnut tree at midnight. Their
future mates were to gather the nuts and share them.
Roasting nuts like walnuts or chestnuts over an open fire
would also share your fate. Nuts that brightly burned in the flames signified
prosperity and passionate love. While dark smoldered nuts signified misfortune,
solitude and poverty. For possible
lovers, they would roast 2 nuts together.
If they roasted nice and slow, it symbolized lasting love and
faithfulness. If one of the nuts
exploded or popped, the couple was destined to have an unsuccessful
relationship.
Crepe Paper Nut Cups
These are perfect for any nuts or candies and make great place
setting and party favor. I purchased these nut cups at Blumchen.com and then
decorated them with various stickers, scraps, and Dresden trims. You can also make the paper cup yourself by
finely folding crepe paper around a small Dixie or nut cup. Blumchen.com and Vintagehalloween.com have a
variety of stickers and scraps to decorate your nut cups. These are also cute
for other holidays especially for Easter and as baby or bridal shower favors.
Bogie Books
A few years ago I
really got into researching how holidays were celebrated in the early
1900’s. They had some crafty ideas back
then and it’s also been fun to read up on all the traditions and theories on
various fortune telling’s. I discovered
the line of Dennison Halloween Bogie Books and just had to have some of them.
The Dennison Company was a paper party supply company. They put out these books to market their
products and gave instructions for all of your Halloween party needs. There are directions for decorations,
tableware, games, and crepe paper costumes. Now all I had to do was get my
hands on one of these rare finds. You can
go on eBay or perhaps an antique store, but a Bogie Book may be quite expensive
and tattered. I found a company who
sells reprints of the books at Bramcostpublications.com. They sell about 15
different Bogie books as well as other vintage holiday, sewing, and crafting
reprints. On their site they have examples of the book’s content so you can see
what you’re buying.
Beistle Halloween Americana
Vintage Halloween decorations are a hard find. Besides Dennison paper goods, a company
called Beistle has been making decorations for years. The Beistle Company was founded in 1900 out of Pennsylvania. They originally specialized in honeycomb paper decorations and quickly expanded into a successful party goods company. This Halloween I discovered that Beistle has
some reproductions of their vintage products at a very affordable price. I found them at both Blumchen.com and
Vintagehalloween.com. There are a large
variety of die cuts for hanging, masks, stickers, games, and even window
clings. I was in heaven, so as you can
see, I had to buy a bunch of them up!
