all hallows even

i have to admit, i'm not really a halloween person. i love to see all the cute little kids dressed up, but i just don't usually have the energy or motivation to make a costume for myself and i would rather decorate for fall in general than halloween. i can also definitely do without all the ghouls, gore, and horror movies.

i noticed this cute little postcard at about.com. this is my kind of halloween- cute kid, cute pumpkin!

in spite of my lack of halloween spirit- i have been noticing some cute halloween decor on various blogs and i thought, perhaps all you lovely readers would be interested in seeing how others are decorating? and, if you haven't decorated for your party yet, maybe you'll find some inspiration here!

before we get to the good stuff (the photos), i thought i'd share an extremely abbreviated history of halloween...

though there are many ancient festivals and customs from a variety of cultures that play a role in the history of halloween, the name itself has it's origins in 16th century scotland, where they would have called it 'all hallows even' (even=evening), meaning the night before all hallows day. all hallows day is also known as all saints day and is widely observed in the catholic church. i must say, regardless of the history- i find 'all hallows eve' to be much more charming than 'halloween'- what do you think?

but enough with history lesson-on to the decorating!

i really like the use of chalkboard paint in unexpected places at poetic home. plus, who wouldn't love that great typewriter? 

more chalkboard painted books forming the RIP banner. and that great old subway sign? to die for!

over at house of smiths, a great black and white color scheme

i really love that potion bottle! so cute. 

decor village is featuring wonderful vintage decorations- how great is that cat in the middle? 

the decor in this room is similar to what you would have seen at a halloween party in the 20's. the streamers are my favorite. 

and, if you're wondering where to find great vintage decorations for next halloween, i even found some websites that specialize in just that...

vintage halloween has a nice selection, plus i thought this pumpkin fairy graphic on their site was so charming, if not unusual. 

and some slightly more modern decorations at vintage halloween decorations. these remind me of the decorations people used when i was a child- another great cat (with a monocle!). 

as for me? well i prefer to keep it simple- we picked up these great pumpkins at a local pumpkin farm and i love how the colors complement the greens on this metal work table and file drawer. 

so halloween may not be my holiday, but there are definitely some fun ways to use vintage to celebrate! 

happy all hallows eve!