Vintage Halloween

These are old wax pumpkins that my grandmother used for place setting decorations. They have that old florist foam inside which has deteriorated and covered everything. Unfortunately they melted one year in our attic in our old uninsulated house. It looks like they are glued or taped to can lids that have been painted black. Pretty crafty huh? Guess that's how they did it back then. I'm not sure whether they are recoverable at this point, but I can't bear to throw them away. So I get them out every year and remember my grandma, and how much she loved to decorate for each holiday. I think maybe if I dipped them in warm water they'd be pliable enough to then reshape, but not this year. Let's call these the "before pictures", ok?

They have such charm and intensity and character. I love the look of these old things, they have so much more heft and realness than the crappy stuff you can buy today that is only made to last one year at the most.
These pumpkin picks are fibery paper, with chenille wire stems, and formerly velvet paper leaves. On the back it says: Made In Japan in faded printing.

The two cats on the right are plastic as well as the small pumpkin on the left. I'm guessing these picks are all from bakery cupcakes or cakes that grandma saved (hmmm, guess that's where I got that habit from huh?!).
And three very disreputable looking witches.

This guy was in the bag too, I think he may have come on a bakery cake, but I love his expression and his cigar chomping action.

Reminds me of a favorite character in the Sandman books, Mervyn Pumpkinhead.