Ooooo, how I love Halloween!

 I do love the lead up to Halloween. It coincides with the end of summer and the beginning of my crafty season. I feel like locking myself inside, cooking large amounts of food containing squash ( or food containing large amounts of squash) and crafting my little fingers to the nubs.

And the Barn of Opportunity never fails to supply me with the inspiration nor the supplies.

Last year I read about this spider web idea on a Betz White blogpost and off I went to look for a doily at the B. of O.  Gotcha.  Had the rick rack, the plastic spider and the old embroidery hoop (What can I say? I hoard too much stuff).

I can't show you this year's Halloween costumes yet, so I'll show you a Halloween project from years gone by.

Gitsy Palmer came through for me several years ago when a friend wanted me to make a Bride costume for her daughter's Halloween costume. Gitsy decided it was time to bring second life to her own beloved wedding dress.  I converted her gorgeous dress to a version fit for an 8 yr. old princess.  It is modeled here by my friend Jorja, before it was sent off to Anna in Maryland. I loved making it, and Anna loved wearing it.

And these two Halloween goodies were BOTH found in Bin #2 at the Barn of Opportunity in the past few years.  (Modelled this week during storytime at the library.)  While the elephant mask is plastic, the bat hat is clearly handmade. Who, in their right mind would ever part with these gems???

I need to get back to the sewing machine.  I'm finishing up Olena's Rapunzel gown and my own costume... I can't give it away yet, but I must say... it's "practically perfect in every way."

See you in the parade on Friday... and Trick or Treating at the library Halloween night from 6-7:30 ish. I'll be handing out a few spoonfulls of sugar.

Night Night, Sleep Tight, don't let the ....

 ...Yup. The bedbug phobia has come to the Barn of Opportunity.  We saw it coming. This scary guy has been warning us, dangling above the bin of clothes in the "gift shop" for a few weeks now. He's telling those of us who pick from the offerings in that bin to launder them and heat the items in the dryer for 20 minutes on high heat as soon as we get them home. As always, we take items from the Barn of Opportunity "at our own risk."  Now it's just in writing on the wall.  There is a lot of info on the web about bedbugs and it didn't take me long to find an article that addressed bed bugs and the thrift shoppers  like me. We are the ones who need to be warned.  Kathy Durgin-Leighton warned me as SOON as she heard about bedbug infestations in neighboring towns, since she knows I love to find clothing and fabric at the barn. Thanks, Kathy.

  I try very hard to NOT use my dryer, EVER, but if I must, I must. For I am not ready to give up the thrill of finding gems in the bin like this dress, which became my Shirley Partridge Halloween costume a few years ago.

  And as for the matching Size 10 gogo boots that magically appeared in the shoe bin that same October to complete the Halloween outfit? Those would have to have been put into a plastic bag and left in a freezer (or snowbank) for 2 weeks to kill any bugs lurking in those pointy toes. My kids found the costume frightening enough without bug infestation.

Besides the dangling mascot over the first floor clothes bin, visitors to the barn this week will notice the removal of the clothes storage bins on the second floor of the barn.  Bed bug prevention measures again. They may return, but for now it is safety first.  I appreciate the safety measures and the chance to both donate and take clothing.  I know I'll risk a lot to experience the joys of the barn. Today's joy? A hand-crocheted doily that had a small pink stain on it. As we speak I'm dying half of it pink and the other half green. Then who knows what I'll make out of it.