The Witch's Broom Nebula

Today's Witchy Wednesday is a beautiful example of the wonders of space! I've always had a minor interest in astronomy, and have decided to make this the year I delve deeper into that field.

This stunning image was captured by Martin Pugh Astrophotography. This Veil Nebula, properly named NGC 6960, is the resulting debris cloud from a supernova. It is about 1400 light years away from earth. Check out the NASA site for further explanation of The Witch's Broom Nebula! And, if you love space as much as I do, be sure to check out my blog post for the Halloween Asteroid.

The Halloween Tree (2017)

Another stunning Halloween image! It is entitled Halloween Tree (2017) and is by artist Annya Marttinen. Make sure to check out her website for similar whimsical creations!

The Tea Party

Isn't this image absolutely stunning? From far away, it appears as a creepy, grinning skull. But, look at it closer, and you have two girls having a nude/semi-nude tea party, lol! I am a sucker for these illusions that show a juxtaposition of beauty and death in the form of a skull. If you also enjoy these types of images, please check out this C.A. Gilbert piece entitled All is Vanity. 

I wish I could give the artist who created the image below credit, but I cannot find that information anywhere online. If you know who to credit, please let me know. 

Vintage Devil Chocolate Mold

 While looking for something totally off-topic, I stumbled across these photos, curated from eBay by the Antique Chocolate Mold website. They are from an eBay listing that went up last August featuring what the seller is calling a rare example of a Bermann vintage  Halloween chocolate mold in the shape of a Devil or werewolf.

I'm not seeing werewolf...but these spooky little guys are definitely demonic looking! I would use these for Halloween, of course...but then I would also use them in December and call them little Krampuses! I think they'd easily be able to pass. Hell, I'd use them year round. They're just the right amount of creepy and historically cool. Who wouldn't want to unwrap and eat one of them?

From what I can gather, this vintage chocolate mold sold for around $150, and if its as rare as claimed, that seems like a steal, lol. I couldn't find any additional information on this mold, or even the Bermann Company (spelled the way listed on the actual item). If you know any more about this subject, I would love to hear it! Let me know over at Theresa's Haunted History Facebook page!

Slutty Witch

Be careful what you say to a witch! Happy Witchy Wednesday, everyone!

Ghosts in the Graveyard

Not a long blog today---just wanted to share this wonderful vintage ghost illustration I found over on the Good Good blog! Make sure you check out the link for several more awesome images the author has shared. They're all awesome, but I think this is my favorite of the bunch. There is a lot going on in what appears on the surface to be a pretty straight-forward image. Why are two ghosts sad, one ghost indifferent, and the rest cheerful? What's the deal with the skeleton crawling out of his grave? And is that snow falling from the sky...or just a starry backdrop? I guess there's no reason to overthink it---just enjoy the Ghosts in the Graveyard!

Mac-O-Lanterns and Cheese

Since its been so long since the last Foodie Friday, I tried to find something really unique to get things started back up. I think I found what I was looking for...

This visually interesting dish is an orange bell pepper, carved into a Jack-o-Lantern and used as a bowl to serve macaroni. The recipe comes from The Food Network Kitchen, and although it seems pretty easy to make, I personally would probably just dump some boxed Kraft macaroni and cheese into a raw pepper and call it a day. But, don't be like me---if you're interested in serving this up as a unique Halloween side dish, follow the recipe over at Food Network. There's even a video and complete ingredient list.

I think this would make an adorable part of any family dinner, but since the macaroni spilling out the top DOES kinda look like brains, I'm sure it can be spookified up for a more mature audience!

Photo by Teri Lyn Fisher

Halloween Asteroid

Right now, there's a giant skull-shaped asteroid flying through Space.

That's a pretty horrifying thought, but its true! The asteroid's official name is 2015 TB145, but picked up the name 'The Halloween Asteroid' back in 2015 when it flew by the Earth on October 31st. The fact that it looks eerily like a human skull from certain angles also probably played a major role in choosing its nickname!

The spooky skull, which scientists believe is a dead comet, flies around our planet about every 3 years, and during its last pass, came within a scary-close distance from us---only about 300,000 miles! 2018 will see a return of the Halloween Asteroid, but unfortunately, it'll be a little late. It is projected to pass by Earth sometime in mid-November.  According to the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia, we'll have to wait until 2088 for another Halloween-day passing. 

Source: Time article by Lisa Marie Segarra

New Year's Resolution: Read More Scary Books

I'm going to take inspiration from the Master of Horror Himself, Stephen King, and read more scary books in 2018! I absolutely LOVE to read and I do read a lot already. My favorites are paranormal non-fiction and embarrassingly...cozy mysteries. I enjoy horror, though, but don't read nearly enough of it. In fact, I hardly read ANY horror fiction. West Virginia has some wonderful authors of this genre, so I hopefully will fill my 2018 TBR with lots of excellent works by native Appalachians.  

What sorts of New Year's Resolutions do YOU have for 2018?

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from Theresa's Halloween Wonderland! It's definitely my intention to further develop this blog in 2018! I'd like to take it from a simple repository of things for me to browse through when I'm feeling down to a blog that I'd be proud to share with everyone. Halloween is just one of those things that make me happy, no matter what time of year it is!