Gargoyle Dogs

It's that time of year...

Pet costumes seem all the rage right now and not just for dogs; more than one cat is into hats these days.

Meanwhile, I spend my free time at local stores looking for pretty witches to add to my collection, cute (not scary) black cat images, and things that make me smile, like the picture above.

The Chicago Sun Times notes that

Witches are again the most popular costume for adults this Halloween, but vampires are chomping in with a close second because of their newfound popularity in books and movies..

Saving Money on Halloween

You don't have to spend a lot of money on a costume this year. Your local Good Will has lots of great costumes on sale, especially for kids. Call a friend or neighbor and see if they have something you can borrow. Or, arrange for a costume swap. Get together with friends, all who agree bring a bunch of costume items to swap, loan and trade. Also, look around the house and see what you have there, already. Anyone can buy a costume; for many of us, half the fun is making it or putting it all together for ourselves.

Sia

Related Articles:

Keeping Your Pet Safe This Halloween

Photo: found at Boris Kitty blog.

Faerie Worlds

Faerieworlds Festival - Eugene, Oregon - July 21st - 22nd

Faerie Magazine

Other Faerie Festivals in the U.S.

World of Froud

See you there.
Brian Froud and the Witches' Ball

I've been a fan of Brian Froud's work since the late 70's, when I picked up a copy of All the Giants Are Dead? at A Change of Hobbit bookstore in Southern California. (Thank you, Sherry).

In 2001 he was scheduled to be a surprise guest at our charity Witches' Ball. The theme that year was Fairies, and we used his images (with permission) when building the website. But the towers fell a month before our October date for the ball, travel became extremely difficult, and Brian and Wendy Froud were forced to cancel their U.S. tour. Even so, he sent us a number of signed prints via his print agent, and we put these into our Silent Auction, which helped to raise money for special needs cases over at our local animal shelter.

The 2001 Witches' Ball was one of our best balls ever. Despite the awful events only a month before, over 600 people came, many of them non-Pagans who wanted to support our charity work. (1) Full Circle paid thousands of dollars to rent a 3 level ballroom, and vendor space at the Scottish Rite Center. After 9/11 we thought no one would come, and we'd loose our shirts and disappoint our good friends at the animal shelter. Instead, we got all our money back, raised over $2,500 for the Silicon Valley Humane Society and gave out the Gaia's Guardian Award to a wonderful woman. It remains my favorite of all our Witches' Ball, in part because of the theme and Brian's kindness, and in part because so many good people came out in a time of great fear and deep sorrow to support a life affirming, charity event.

My thanks to our attendees, and all those talented, hardworking folks who made the Witches Balls possible.

Sia

(1) Our Witches Ball took 8 months to plan & execute. We had 15 Vendors in our Vendor room, Tribal Belly dancers as entertainment, gorgeous decorations that turned a dull space into a Faerie Wood, a professional photographer (who took keepsake photos of our guests in costume, and printed them right on the spot) a fabulous Dj, full Operations & Security Teams,
Theater Techs (all donating their time and expertise) and a small but mighty circle of dedicated (unpaid) Senior Staff who led our group of generous, responsible volunteers.