Winter in Minnesota tends to begin in November (although snow has fallen much earlier!). Temperatures begin to dip into the 40s and upper 30s. The skies turn a light gray and the sun begins to go down closer to 4:30pm versus 9:30pm during the summer. My car lacks traction control, so digging at my tires with a neon kid's shovel is a regular occurrence. Plus, the blower motor I thought I fixed in my car is now no longer working-- no heat in an ice box of a wilderness...oh joy.

A few weekends ago, I went garage salin' with my mom. It was like old times-- digging through boxes, commenting on old hippie things from the 60s and 70s. I found quite a few vintage clothing pieces which I feel are harder and harder to find since vintage fashion has hugely come back in style. At one sale, I happened upon a 1960s dress suit for $3 (what a steal!). As I walked up to the lady, I noticed a jagged pointy-looking piece of hardware. I uncovered it from beneath some rubbish and realized it was an old mid century modern clock (like the one pictured above)....with a tag marked FREE! The lady's husband commented that it was mine if I could get it to work. That was just the challenge I needed.

I took the dress suit & clock home with me...but then I realized something: I've never fixed or rebuilt a clock in my life! So I did some research and found just what I needed. Only this DIY clock is made using recycled plastic flatware. That's right--courtesy of Samuel Bernier at Instructables.com, for just around $15, you could build this clock tonight. 

PLASTIC FLATWARE CLOCK

Perusing the Etsy pages recently, I found a drop-dead gorgeous dress from Israel. When I think of Israel, I don't think of fashion, but that got me thinking: How much are we missing when we only pay attention to American & European designer labels? Let's take a look at some beautiful and original fashion designs from lovely Etsy sellers around the world. I've chosen eight beautiful items from fantastic sellers from California, Brazil, Israel, Norway, Toronto, South Africa, New Zealand and Ukraine.

A great dessert to include in your vintage-inspired Halloween party could be cake pops! There are lots of options for these handy little munchies-- make them into zombies, pumpkins, bats, eyeballs, etc. Buy them online on etsy or make your own.

Halloween party decorations don't have to be just black and orange. Add some purple, teal or lime green for an extra retro kick! Atmosphere is everything if you're looking to create a "spooky" haunted house feeling. Don't forget the music & sound effects...just make sure to hide the boombox from guests.

A great activity for your vintage Halloween party might include playing an old-fashioned "Mystery game". These are great ice breaker games for guests who might not know many people and can provide many laughs & memories. Even better-- provide "props" for your guests so they can become more in character (think monocle, feather boa, 1950s hat, lots of jewelry, mens ties, etc.)