Halloween 2017 at Spirit Halloween

Spirit Halloween! Love the big werewolf prop they have this year and their

spooky cute walk-through!

Is there anything better than seeing Halloween stores like Spirit Halloween pop up?! They are one of the harbingers of Halloween and I always look forward to their banners adorning otherwise vacant buildings. Last week I headed out to the closest Spirit Halloween store that was open and basically had the whole store to myself! They were still setting up most of their displays and didn't have everything out yet, but I was still so excited for the chance to get in and check out all their Halloween props, decor and costumes!

Halloween 2017 at Dollar Tree

Halloween 2017 at Dollar Tree

I went on a big Halloween hunt this past weekend, and one of the stores I visited was Dollar Tree. Dollar Tree usually has some pretty great Halloween stuff for a dollar (sometimes less!). I especially love their greeting card section that has a wide variety of designs, from funny to cutesy to nostalgic. This year they also have some fun light-up ghosts and witches, plus tons of other great decor.

Take a peek at what my Dollar Tree had in stock below:

Halloween 2017 at Marshalls

Marshalls usually has most of the same items HomeGoods or T.J. Maxx have (or have had), so I generally don't bother going there too many times to look for Halloween stuff. Plus my local one is small and usually doesn't have much Halloween stuff. However, I was pleasantly surprised at what I found at Marshalls when I went last weekend. They still didn't have very much out and most of what they did have I saw at HomeGoods/T.J. Maxx, but I did nab my two fave finds of the season so far!

Check out what they had haunting the shelves at my store:

Halloween 2017 at JoAnn Fabrics

Halloween 2017 at JoAnn Fabrics 

I went to JoAnn Fabrics last month, but didn't find a whole lot. I went back last weekend and still didn't find a whole lot, but a lot of stuff was on sale for 40% off, so you can't beat that! Their Halloween aisles were kinda empty, and that had me wondering if they had more stock coming or if this was gonna be it this year.

Either way, there wasn't much that stood out to me in their Halloween collection, besides their socks! I am a Halloween kitchen towel hoarder, but I'm probably worse with Halloween socks. They are just irresistible, even though I don't wear socks on a regular basis (unless it is winter) and I already have a big drawer full just bursting with orange and black and purple and green socks. None of that matters, once I see Halloween socks all reason leaves me and I have to buy at least a few every season.

Anyways, I ended up with some socks and a few other small items. Check out what else other Halloween items I saw at JoAnn's below:

Halloween 2017 at Target's Dollar Spot

My face when I see Halloween stuff in stores, LOL! How adorable is this 

little dude?!

UPDATE: Target now has their entire Halloween collection out in stores! Check out the goods HERE!

I went to Target over the weekend and only found some Halloween tees (check them out HERE!), but no luck in their Dollar Spot section for Halloween stuff. However, I went again yesterday and they had put so many Halloween items out in their dollar section, I basically jumped for joy! Ok, it was more internal squealing, but either way I was STOKED!

Last year's Dollar Spot had a more gothic feel with its black filigree mirrors and glass artwork (see some pieces of that HERE), but this year is a lot more colorful and playful, and seems to be geared more towards kids than goths (or inner goths). While the more colorful Halloweenie things aren't really my style, the designs are still super adorable and I like what they have so far this year.

Take a peek at some of the goodies you can find at Target's Dollar Spot for Halloween (most items run from $1 to $3):

Halloween 2017 at HomeGoods

Halloween 2017 at HomeGoods!

I've been looking forward to the Halloween roll out at T.J. Maxx/HomeGoods so much, as it is one of my favorite stores to snag Halloween goodies! I am elated to report that I checked out my local T.J. Maxx/HomeGoods store this past weekend and found their autumn and Halloween items starting to be stocked! 

I have found some real treasures from them in past years, and I expect this year to be no different. I often find Halloween tableware, candles, artwork, and decor that I use year-round at HomeGoods, which is why I get so excited when August rolls around because I know HomeGoods will start carrying Halloween goodies! I've been stalking my local store the past few weekends, and just this past weekend finally found orange and black hitting the shelves. See what I found below:

Halloween 2017 Tees at Target

Halloween tees at Target!

I took a bit of a vacation last week to visit my family up in the remote redwood forests of Northern California, which is why I haven't posted in a week. As soon as I got back, though, the Halloween hunt was on and I was back in stores scoping out Halloween goodies! My first stop was Target - I was really hoping their Dollar Spot section would have Halloweenie items, but no such luck at my local Target, as that section was still filled with back-to-school junk.

However, I did find a few Halloweenie t-shirts and clothing items in the women's and girl's sections of Target! Many are repeats of last year (or maybe leftover stock they are trying to get rid of?), but there are a few NEW creepy-cute items. I was really digging the little kids' clothes - I wish those designs came in adult sizes! 

Check out what Halloween tees and more Target had in stock:

Halloween 2017 at Big Lots

After sharing Big Lots Halloween 2017 collection a few weeks ago, I was waiting for these eerie items to start haunting stores. I saw that others were finding spooky stuff at their Big Lots stores, so last night I decided to trek to my nearest Big Lots to see if they had any Halloweenie items out. While they didn't have everything out yet, they had a large chunk of their Halloween goodies on display. A majority of their items on display lit up, were motion-activated, made spooky sounds, or a combination of all three.

I didn't buy anything this round, but wanted to share what I did see in Big Lots. Take a look at what they had on  their shelves below:

Halloween 2017 at Michaels

Welcome Halloween at Michaels!

I'm finally getting around to posting about my Halloween finds at Michaels! Things have been crazy busy lately between getting a promotion at work, attending back-to-back Halloween conventions (read about those here, here, and here), planning for a family visit, and everything else going on right now, so I haven't had much time to post about my Halloween finds in-stores. Hopefully I'll start to get caught up, starting with my recent visits to Michaels.

Full-size skeletons - I love them!

Michaels has always been great about getting their Halloween stuff out early, but I felt they were a little behind this year and was getting frustrated at not finding anything autumn- or Halloween-themed in stores. A few weeks ago, though, I finally found fall decor in stores and soon after came all the Halloweenie treats! They have some repeats from last year, but overall I'm digging that they continued the gothic vibe of last year, it means I can find regular home decor that I leave out all year-round! Take a peek of what they have in stores for Halloween 2017 below:

Recap: ScareLA 2017

The ScareLA pumpkin patch!

Sometimes I forget how lucky I am to live in a place where I'm able to attend multiple Halloween conventions! I spent last weekend at Midsummer Scream (check out my recaps of Saturday and Sunday!) and this past weekend I got to attend ScareLA. It was my second year at Midsummer Scream, but my first year at ScareLA and the festival's first year at the Los Angeles Convention Center (the previous four years ScareLA was held at the Pasadena Convention Center). I was really excited to have two back-to-back weekends of Halloweenie goodness!

ScareLA 2017 program

Below I'll be sharing my experience at ScareLA from start to finish, with plenty of photos in order to give you a taste of what to expect at this Halloween festival! I'll also be including some tips that I find helpful when attending conventions at the very end, as well as sharing all the goodies I picked up from vendors and artists.

ScareLA Day Declared by the City of Los Angeles

District 9 Council member Curren Price presents ScareLA founder Lora 

Ivanova (and some Decayed Brigade ghouls) with a certificate that 

declares August 4th as ScareLA Day!

Today was declared ScareLA Day by the City of Los Angeles, honoring ScareLA's continued and valued contribution to the City of Angels! Founder and creator Lora Ivanova was presented with a certificate from the city by District 9 Council member Curren D. Price Jr., and was joined on-stage my members of the Decayed Brigade performance troupe!

Watch Now on Netflix: The Devil's Candy (2015)

I was so excited to see that Netflix added The Devil's Candy to their instant streaming catalog! I had been looking forward to seeing it since early 2016 (where I had it as one of my most anticipated movies of 2016). Even though it technically had a 2015 release (probably at film festivals), it was really hard to track down, though I think it was available on Amazon at the beginning of 2017.

I really enjoyed writer/director Sean Byrne's last film The Loved Ones, so I couldn't wait to see The Devil's Candy. As soon as I saw it pop up on Netflix I dimmed the lights, lit a few candles, and snuggled up on the couch with a big bowl of popcorn to finally watch The Devil's Candy!

Recap: Midsummer Scream 2017 - Day 2

Yesterday I shared my day one at last weekend's Midsummer Scream festival and all the panels, presentations, vendors, and other Halloween and horror goodies I got to see, and today I'll be wrapping up my coverage by sharing all that I did on the second and final day of the Halloween festival. Looking back on this year, I can't believe how fast it went and how much I miss it and wish it was longer. When I went last year, I only did one day and I remember being so exhausted, but this year doing both days of the fest invigorated me and I wanted more! I am already looking forward to next year, but for now check out all the things I did and saw at Midsummer Scream 2017 below.

Recap: Midsummer Scream 2017 - Day 1

Midsummer Scream 2017

Midsummer Scream returned for its second year of celebrating Halloween this past weekend at the Long Beach Convention Center. I attended last year, and I was really looking forward to their second annual event! With last year's experience under my belt, I felt like this year was going to be bigger and better than last year. I had already planned out the major panels and presentations I wanted to see, I was familiar with the layout of the convention center, and I was brimming with excitement at all the Halloweenie and horror goodness I was going to see! It was Halloween in July, and I wanted to share with you all the fantastically fun and seriously spooky stuff I got to see all weekend, starting with day one on Saturday, July 29th.

Spirit Halloween's Hocus Pocus Collection

Hocus Pocus at Spirit Halloween

I am so excited that Spirit Halloween is releasing an officially licensed line of Hocus Pocus merch this Halloween season! Hocus Pocus is one of my favorite Halloween movies (and probably one of my favorite movies of all time), and it has gained quite a cult following even though it was released way back in 1993 (wow, it's 24 years old!).

Most of the line is a little too glittery and cutesy for me, but I have fallen in love with some of the items they are selling this year! Check out my must-haves from Spirit Halloween's Hocus Pocus line below: