Recap: Midsummer Scream 2018 - Day 1

The event I look forward to with glee every year, Midsummer Scream, was this past weekend. It returned for its third year at the Long Beach Convention Center and was expected to be bigger and better than ever (spoiler alert: it was)! There were approximately 20,000 attendees expected for each day, but I think it was closer to 25,000 Halloween lovers that actually showed up each day, with both days selling out! It was packed with excited Halloween and horror fans, and there was so much to do!

This year, Midsummer Scream featured a bigger show floor filled with incredible vendors, makeup artists, special FX artists, celebrity autograph signings, and more. I must have walked that show floor more than 10 times throughout the weekend, and every time I found something new! Then there was the expanded Hall of Shadows, featuring an entryway inspired by Frankenstein's castle, a new vendor section, performance stage, and of course the mini mazes! The bottom floor also held areas for the classrooms and photo ops. All of the major panels took place on the second floor (above the lobby) in the Grand Ballroom. The second floor also held the Black Cat Lounge, the second stage where other presentations took place, a screening room, and more.

I attended both days (check out my recap of Day 2!) and had a blast at both. I did so much that I decided to split my coverage into two posts, one for Saturday and another for Sunday. Saturday was spent mostly wandering the show floor, checking out the Hall of Shadows, and meeting up with other Halloween bloggers like Spooky Little Halloween and All Hallows Geek!

Check out some highlights of my Saturday at Midsummer Scream below:

Only 100 Days Until Halloween!

Eeeeek, there are now only 100 days until Halloween! I can barely believe how fast time is flying by this year, I feel like this autumn is going to creep up on me and take me completely by surprise! Still, I am soooooo ready for Halloween season! I made a few graphics to celebrate that there are only 100 days until Halloween - feel free to use them on your social media accounts if you like, and don't forget to tag me so I can see your posts!

13 Tips and Tricks To Survive Midsummer Scream

Midsummer Scream is just a week away (eeeeeeek!!) and I am so excited! In case you didn't know, Midsummer Scream is a Halloween festival and convention held at the Long Beach Convention Center. It celebrates all things spooky, kicks off the Halloween season (yes, it's here!), and has been a blast every year I've attended (see my coverage of last year's event HERE and HERE and 2016's inaugural event HERE). It has been so neat to see it grow over these last few years, so I am really stoked to see what they have in store for us this year.

Since so many people are attending this year (I get to see so many spooky friends, yay!), I have been asked for tips and tricks on attending the convention, what people should expect, what they should bring, and so on. I figured I would put together a little guide for those who are attending for the first time as well as for those convention veterans needing a bit more help navigating the event.

With so many amazing panels, classes, vendors, entertainment, and more, it is easy to get overwhelmed, but I'm here to make sure that doesn't happen! With just a little bit of pre-planning, you can maximize your time at Midsummer Scream and make sure you see everything you want to (and more!). I'm a person who love to pre-plan everything, but I know there are others out there that don't, so I wanted to make sure to cover even the most basic of tips for the convention.

Check out my 13 Tips and Tricks to Survive Midsummer Scream below:

Sourpuss Coffin Shelf and Salt + Pepper Shaker Giveaway

CONTEST CLOSED! Congrats to the winner, which was announced on the original giveaway post on Instagram! More big giveaways to come!!

Hi boils and ghouls! If you follow me on Instagram, you know I am collaborating with Sourpuss Clothing for an amazing giveaway to kick off their official release date of Halloween goodies on August 1st! You can enter to win a coffin shelf in the color of your choosing (red, purple, or green) as well as two salt and pepper shaker sets! Details on how to enter below...

Strawberry Jam Tours at Tanaka Farms

Tanaka Farms is one of my favorite places in Orange County - not only is their pumpkin patch the best (they actually grow their own pumpkins), but they also host the fantastic Plant Fest every season featuring a fun assortment of vegan food and vendors (see past visits to their pumpkin patch and Plant Fests HERE!). Not only that, but they have pick-your-own veggies and fruits and farm tours as well. For the next two Thursdays and Fridays, they will be hosting Farm to Table Strawberry Jam Tours!

Tanaka Farms has some ripe, juicy, and delicious late-season strawberries waiting to be picked! This tour will include a wagon ride out to the strawberry fields, where you can enjoy the sunshine and pick berries. After choosing the sweetest strawberries, you'll head back to the farm where you will learn how to the berries into a delicious strawberry freezer jam! At the end of your strawberry jam-making adventures, you'll get to take home a jar of jam along with a basket of luscious, sun-kissed strawberries.

The tours will be held this Thursday, July 19th and Friday, July 20th, as well as next Thursday, July 26th and Friday, July 27th. All tours start at 10:30 AM and are $18 per person.

To RSVP for the event and buy tickets, visit the Facebook event page!

Sneak Peek: Halloween 2018 at Cracker Barrel

Cracker Barrel restaurants are typically located in the Midwest and the South, but Southern California recently opened their very own, though it is still pretty far for me to visit (and I doubt they have vegan options). Besides being a restaurant, they also start carrying some creepy-cute Halloween items around this time of year. Even if you don't have a Cracker Barrel nearby, the good news is that most of their Halloween items can be ordered online!

I've been browsing their online store lately, and I am thinking about ordering a few of the items below:

Midsummer Scream Reveals Full-Scale Details of World's Largest Halloween and Horror Convention

I am so excited that Midsummer Scream is just a week and a half away! The "World’s Largest Halloween and Horror Convention" is projected to thrill more than 20,000 ghoulish guests at Long Beach Convention Center July 28th and 29th, 2018 with what promises to be their biggest year ever! Check out the thrills and chills they have planned this year in the official press release below:

Sneak Peek: Halloween 2018 at Grandin Road

Grandin Road has unveiled their Halloween Haven collection for 2018. I love browsing their Halloween items, though I've never purchased anything from them. This year, aquatic horror has made a splash on Grandin Road's site, along with some gorgeously gothic decor that is to die for!

You can see some of my favorites from their 2018 Halloween collection below:

Autumn 2018 at Michaels

I visited my local Michaels this past Friday to see if they had started stocking any Halloween goodies. While they hadn't started setting up their Halloween section, I did find plenty of beautiful fall foliage and autumn decor out on shelves. It may not be Halloween stuff, but it sure made me happy to see so much autumn amazingness! 

I wanted to share my photos with you so you too can revel in the bright orange, yellow, and red autumn colors! Get a dose of fall below:

Sneak Peek: Halloween 2018 at Target

Eeeeeek, it has finally arrived! Target has released some of its Halloween 2018 collection online! I have been stalking their website for weeks waiting for their new Halloween items to drop, and I am so glad they are finally here so we can get a peek at Target's 2018 Halloween items! Some items are even available for pre-order and expected to ship on or after August 21st.

This year, neon looks big and there are lots of bright purple and blue neon colors featured. There are some gorgeously gothic pieces as well, along with more traditional Halloween icons like ghosts, bats, witches and orange and black.

As usual, Target has some fantastic Halloween items that I definitely want to get my hands on...check out some of my faves so far below:

Sneak Peek: Halloween 2018 at Kirklands

Halloween items are popping up all over and I've been busy keeping my eyes out for treats to share with you boils and ghouls. Recently, I found some really great pieces at Kirkland's online store! I don't have any Kirkland's stores near me, so I am glad I have the option of ordering their items online, especially since their 2018 Halloween collection is to die for! 

Check out some of my faves I found online so far below:

Sneak Peek: Halloween 2018 at Sur La Table

Sur La Table always has fun Halloween tableware and kitchen accessories, and I am so excited for their 2018 Halloween collection. Lucky for us, they have started posting Halloween items on their site so we can get a sneak peek at what is to come! I am sure they will be posting more soon, but for now these are the items I am loving:

Sneak Peek: Halloween 2018 at Pottery Barn Kids

Eeeeeek I am getting so excited seeing all the Halloween items slowly creeping into stores online! I have been keeping my peepers peeled for any spooky treats online, and just saw that Pottery Barn Kids has a few goodies online already. I'm sure there will be more added in the weeks to come, but the items I did see made my jack-o-lantern heart glow with glee!

I love all the ghost decor I am seeing glimpses of so far (it looks like a phantasmically fun trend this year!) since I adore all ghosties. Pottery Barn Kids is also bringing back their adorable officially licensed Peanuts Halloween items, and so far they have posted some terrific tableware featuring Charlie Brown's pup Snoopy.