Halloween 2019 at Fred Meyer

We don't have Fred Meyer grocery stores in California, so when we were up in Oregon recently we popped into one to grab some water and snacks and were surprised at how huge they are! I also had no idea they had a Halloween decor, which I quickly gravitated towards and was delighted to find they had a ton of! I didn't buy anything, but had a blast browsing their sprawling Halloween section. I can't wait to get back up there and get back into a Fred Meyer (they also had a ton of vegan options in the grocery section of the store!).

Here are all the Halloween goodies I spotted in Fred Meyer:

Halloween 2019 at Michaels

Oops, this post is a little late - but better late than never, right?! I truly meant to post this way back at the beginning of August, but since I moved from Southern California and am still searching for a new place to call my home, it kinda slipped through the cracks! I'm sure you've probably already seen everything Michaels has to offer for Halloween this year, but just in case you haven't or in case you missed something, I thought I would still share some pics that I took more than a month ago when they first started putting out Halloween!

I really dug all the vintage-inspired decor this year at Michaels; they really hit it out of the pumpkin patch! It is by far my most favorite Halloween collection I've seen in 2019. Check it out below:

Halloween 2019 at Target

I stopped into Target after my trip up to Washington and Oregon last week to hunt for Halloween. Since I'm so far from everything here on the Lost Coast, I didn't expect them to have anything Halloweenie out yet besides their dollar section (which I covered HERE!). I was surprised and delighted to find that their Halloween section did in fact have lots of terrifying treats out on the shelves already! I'll share everything I saw below...

Halloween 2019 at Trader Joe's

One of the things I look forward to the most every autumn is the release of Trader Joe's Halloween food! They always have the ghoulest snacks and I stock up on their frightful food every fall. And their vegan options are always to die for (though I wish a few more of their items were vegan - I'm looking at you, pumpkin spice cream cheese!).

Unfortunately for me, I'm hundreds of miles away from a Trader Joe's at the moment. However, I took a recent trip up to Oregon and Washington and made it my mission to seek out Trader Joe's stores up there so I could indulge in some of my favorite fall foods! I got lucky and the Trader Joe's I visited were already filling their shelves with Halloween treats, so I snapped a few pics so I could share all the vegan goodies they have this year.

Take a look at their vegan Halloween food below:

Sneak Peak: Halloween 2019 at Pier 1

Halloween items are starting to sneak up online and in-stores, and while stalking the Pier 1 website I noticed that they had their autumn and Halloween sneak peeks up! They have so many adorable items this year, I cannot wait to get my claws on some of them!

Here are some of my faves I spotted on the Pier 1 website, you can order/pre-order these now and they should make their appearance in Pier 1 stores around mid-August.

10 Things I'm Loving This June

This has been a hectic month with trying to pack and get ready for a big move, plus getting ready to travel for a wedding, not to mention how bonkers work has been! Thank goodness I had some things that kept me sane and happy this month, and as per my monthly tradition, I'm sharing 10 of these things with you below. This monthly practice encourages me to reflect on things I'm grateful for this month as well as sharing some of my favorite things with you! And I always love to hear about items you are digging this month, feel free to share them with me in the comments!

Here are my 10 Things I'm Loving this June:

Sprouts Farmers Market 2018 Pumpkin Products

The autumn foods are popping up all over right now (check out my pumpkin finds from Trader Joe's), and I found some pumpkin products at my local Sprouts Farmers Market grocery store a few weeks ago I'm just getting around to sharing with you (better late than never, right?!).

Disclaimer: I can't get enough pumpkin, and admit I'm a sucker for anything with "pumpkin" in the ingredients as long as it is free of animal ingredients. If someone slaps a pumpkin sticker on a label, I'm drawn to it faster than a trick or treater to a candy bowl! During this time of year, my eyes are immediately drawn to anything orange in the store and I scour shelves and end caps for any hidden autumn products.

When shopping at Sprouts Farmers Market (a grocery store chain here in SoCal) a few weeks ago, I was pleased to see that they had started putting out their pumpkin products! Not everything was out yet (I am waiting on that Daiya Pumpkin Cheezecake!!), but I did want to share what I did find with you since I know you love autumn foods as much as I do! Check out the pumpkin products and other autumn items Sprout's Farmers Market has on shelves now (note: all items shown are vegan; prices may vary by region):

Pumpkin Spice S'mores Cookies Recipe

This is one of my favorite cookie recipes to make this time of year! I came up with it last year after adding Dandies' Pumpkin Marshmallows to my pumpkin spice chocolate chip cookie recipe, which gave these a delicious flavor evocative of marshmallows roasted over a bonfire on a crisp fall night.

The cookies themselves are fluffy and cake-like, delectably sweet with a light hint of spice. The marshmallows give them an ooey-gooey consistency that makes them a perfect autumn treat. Whenever I've served them, they are always a huge hit with vegans and non-vegans alike! Today I'm happy to share the recipe with you below:

Make Your Own Pumpkin Spice Coffee Scrub

My sister gave me a recipe for a DIY coffee scrub several years ago, and I love making it to this day! I use it in the shower and not only does it make my skin silky-smooth, but the coffee perks me up and I swear it firms up my behind! With pumpkin season upon us and pumpkin spice coffee so readily available, I had a lightbulb moment and thought to make a pumpkin spice coffee scrub based on my sister's recipe. All I did was replace regular ground coffee with pumpkin spice ground coffee and it came out incredible!

I love everything pumpkin spice, so I usually end up buying pumpkin spice coffee this time of year, despite the fact that I'm not a big fan of flavored coffee (the cute packaging always gets me!). With this recipe, I can use up the pumpkin spice coffee I buy and continue using it all year to make this recipe.

I love how this Pumpkin Spice Coffee Scrub smells and how it moisturizes and exfoliates my skin. Plus, this is such a quick and easy recipe, and you probably already have the ingredients on hand. Check out how to make your own Pumpkin Spice Coffee Scrub below:

Tanaka Farms Pumpkin Patch 2018

One of my Halloween traditions is to visit my local pumpkin patch at Tanaka Farms in Irvine, California. I love attending events at Tanaka Farms, which is a real working farm and so fun to visit. Their pumpkin patch is a real one, where pumpkins are actually grown and you can wander down the rows of pumpkins, visit a corn maze, and even pick your own fruits and veggies on the farm! They also have wagon rides and games. The pumpkin patch is absolutely gourd-geous - they have everything from itty bitty pumpkins to huge giants.

Like last year (check out my visit from last year), Tanaka Farms has officially licensed Hello Kitty and other Sanrio characters to host their pumpkin patch. Photo ops abound with character cut-outs and it is certainly fun to see the cutesy Sanrio characters throughout the farm. There are also hay bales, scarecrows, a sunflower maze, their famous pile of pumpkins, and so many other amazing treats in store at Tanaka Farms.

Check out my photos from this year's visit below:

Jack-o-Punkin Halloween Puppets by FoamFoolery

How cool is this custom-carved and handmade Halloween puppet by FoamFoolery? I have never seen anything quite like it and it is so unique! This spooktacular Jack-o-Punkin puppet was sent to me by Seth Chappell, the creator and puppeteer behind FoamFoolery, a company that specializes in making custom puppets. Seth makes custom puppets for clients and is behind many puppets inspired by metal musicians. His puppets were featured in an Author and Punisher video and he also creates his own metal videos with his puppet band Throwing Goats, with some pretty big guest stars from metal providing music for the videos (check out FoamFoolery on YouTube)!

Trader Joe's 2018 Seasonal Pumpkin Products

The time has arrived, for pumpkin everything and I couldn't be more excited! I am a pumpkin fiend and will inhale anything pumpkin-flavored (as long as it is vegan, of course). From early September onward, I start stalking stores waiting for pumpkin products to start sprouting from shelves.

A few weeks ago, I popped into Trader Joe's and was delighted to discover a cornucopia of pumpkin food and other autumn items lining the shelves! This isn't everything they are releasing this year, but I did want to give you a peek at what I found so far, check out all the pumpkin-y goodness (as well as a few other autumn items) below!

The Curious Confectionery's Pumpkin Spice Popcorn Balls

Popcorn balls are a timeless treat that we don't see enough of nowadays! They always remind me of autumn and Halloween, so I was extremely excited when The Curious Confectionery released their limited-edition Pumpkin Spice flavor this year. I was lucky enough to receive this flavor for review, and I couldn't be more pumped! First, a little more about the delightful duo who run The Curious Confectionery...

Nights of the Jack Lights Up Halloween

There is nothing quite like a jack-o-lantern burning bright on Halloween...especially if it is hundreds of lit jack-o-lanterns expertly carved! This year just north of Los Angeles you'll be able to enjoy the spooky spectacle of Nights of the Jack, where you can wander on a trail and enjoy thousands of jack-o-lanterns, from huge dinosaurs built from pumpkins to pumpkins carved to depict your favorite horror characters!

Nights of the Jack will be held on the grounds of King Gillette Ranch in Calabasas, California and will feature a half mile trail studded with hand-carved and illuminated jack-o-lanterns. Bask in that orange glow that is quintessentially Halloween this season at Nights of the Jack!

More details below...

Halloween 2018 at Pier 1

I strolled into Pier 1 about a week and a half ago to finally seek out their Halloween goodies. While Pier 1 isn't exactly my style and usually features too much cutesy Halloween decor covered in glitter, there were still a few things I saw on their website that I wanted to check out in person.

As soon as I entered the store I made a beeline for the orange and black section. They had all kinds of autumn tableware, foliage, room sprays, and more, but I was most excited for the actual Halloween items. I'll be sharing what I found at Pier 1 below:

Halloween 2018 Tees and Pajamas at Target

Last night I went to Target to check out their dollar section again (wow, it was completely decimated and picked clean of Halloween items!), and while that was a bust I did see some of the brand new Halloween t-shirts and pajamas they had out in the women's and pajama sections.

It looked like most of it had just been put out (UPDATE: they put out MORE new designs - check them out HERE!!), as there were only a few items of each design, but there were some adorable tees, cozy sweatshirts, long-sleeved shirts, and even pajama sets! Once Target has more sizes out, I can't wait to get my claws on some of these! Check out what I saw below:

Halloween 2018 at Target's Dollar Spot

I have been checking Target almost religiously to see if they have Halloween stuff in their Dollar Spot (aka Bullseye's Playground), and I got lucky this past weekend and found some goodies! Not everything was out yet, and they just had a sprinkling of items, but it was still incredibly exciting to see orange and black at Target! 

I wanted to share what I spotted so far, check out my Target Dollar Spot finds below:

A to Z Candles 2018 Halloween Collection

'Tis the season for stocking up on Halloween candles and I love finding new companies that offer vegan and cruelty-free candles, like A to Z Candles. This woman-owned and operated company uses high-quality soy wax (from non-GMO soy grown in the USA) and premium fragrances to make all their candles. They just released their new 2018 Halloween collection and all the scents are to-die-for! They kindly sent me their five new Halloween candles for review and I'm so stoked to be able to share my thoughts on them below.

Halloween 2018 at HomeGoods

When I went Halloween hunting earlier this week, I did not expect to find anything at my local HomeGoods store, but I was pleasantly shocked to find an aisle full of Halloween items already out! I went back yesterday, and they had put a bit more on shelves (though it was still contained to just one aisle). I'm sure by this time next week they will have even more Halloween products on shelves, and I'm so excited, especially after what I saw they already had! By the looks of it, it is going to be a good Halloween year at HomeGoods/TJ Maxx. There were a few old items from previous years, but for the most part many of the items seemed to be new designs. You can take a look at what I found at HomeGoods this week below:

Halloween 2018 at Big Lots

I stopped into Big Lots earlier this week to take a peek to see if their Halloween items had hit shelves yet. I wasn't expecting to find anything, but as I rounded the corner I was delighted to see a wall full of skeletons, gothic decor, animated props, and more! This year, they've brought back some of their popular animated home decor items, like the haunted TV and radio (with a few new tweaks). They also have some neat new skeletons and some wicked gothic decor. 

They are expecting more Halloween stuff, but I'm so happy they are already putting some out! See what I found at Big Lots below: