A Happy Halloween to You!

It's time to put your party hat on and celebrate another fun-filled Halloween! Wishing you many smiles, laughs, frolic and treats from our spooky home to yours....

Halloween Hugs,
~ Johanna, JP and Jack, our holiday poser!



* Jack proudly poses, wearing my illustrated party hat for Halloween 2010.... For my birthday, JP gave me a new lens for my camera that created this dreamy, soft blur effect that I just love!

Photography, © 2010 Johanna Parker Design - Image may not be used without permission.

Was it a Halloween Dream?...

Wheewww, we just returned from a whimsical weekend in Washington where the mood was all things Halloween! For weeks upon weeks, mom was preparing for our visit and decking the house in orange and black delights. Everything smelled of spicy-sweet Witch's Brew, and yummy treats made from the Parker cauldron were ready to be served. Naturally, we put on our festive Halloween attire to celebrate the season...



The spellbinding aroma of sugary delights filled the air. Chocolate bonbons, orange bark candy, iced cookies, ginger bars and Halloween cupcakes lured me in to take a bite....



Soon, I was under a Halloween spell and the Hobgoblin himself arrived to start the party. Bells began to jingle and the wild dancing began.....



Guests began to arrive, and all to celebrate my most favorite holiday with me!



Then, the Pumpkin-Patch King, dressed as a scarecrow, knocked on the door, and I let him in too....



Preparing for the party, he and the Hobgoblin smoothed my hair and the Pumpkin-Patch King secured my party hat with a bow beneath my chin...



We laughed and shared stories of Halloweens past. Giddy with treats and overjoyed to be together, the day swept by, and soon I was waking up. Was it a dream??

On the following morning, I asked my parents if we could go to the Pumpkin King's Patch, and so we headed down a winding fall road to visit his farm. Whimsy once again filled the air with smiles and silliness all about...



He had grown pumpkins of many colors and shapes, bumpy and smooth, mini to massive and all in between...



We visited the barn to meet the critters within. JP had a close encounter with a loud squawking goose and what looks to be a bright, dashing spirit which revealed itself within our lens!... Spooooky!



I posed with the pumpkins, and felt a wee bit nostalgic remembering those childhood days out at the pumpkin patch! What fun!.....



It was certainly a weekend not to forget, but it all flew by in such a frenzied blur! Was it a dream... ? No, I think it certainly did happen and what fun we all had.... I hope to reveal more of this whimsical weekend down the road, so stay tuned. For now, allow your imagination to soar! Happy Halloween!

~ Johanna

Just a Few Halloween Sets Left!...

Many thanks to all of you who popped in at the start of my Halloween Web Sale last night and adopted a special collectible piece for yourself! I appreciate your determination and your patience ~ I know some of you had trouble getting my Folk Art Originals page to load, including me! Sorry! I'll look into that for next time as I'm suspecting there was too much traffic hitting all at once. I feel so very fortunate that your interest in my one of a kinds continues to grow, and of course, I wish I could accommodate everyone's request. The good news is that my love for Halloween is a year-round passion. So, expect to see more from me after the holidays settle. :)

I do however have a few Halloween Reproduction Collector's Sets still available! If you love Black Cats or Owls & Bats, I may just have the set for you! Each item is signed by me, and I'll include an extra goodie in your box. Please contact me soon if you are interested in a set as I only have a few remaining.

Thank you so much for your support & Happy Halloween!
~ Johanna


CLICK HERE for more details on my "Cat Lovers Set"

( The little kitty, top right, sits on a little clip and can be attached to a tree, wreath, etc...

The hugging cat pail can certainly be filled with treats, etc and Shreik the cat looks great just standing around :)

CLICK HERE for more details on my "Night Flyer Set"

( The hanging owl and bat are double-sided and add great movement and fun to any room or window! The sitting owl is another clip ornament and can attach to a tree, wreath, etc... The owl on a stick is also a small rattle and can be shaken or hung. And the bat pail is ready to be filled with your favorite candy treats! )

To reserve one today, please email me at:
johanna@johannaparkerdesign.com

OH Bats & Celebrate365 Magazine!...

I had the pleasure of sharing some of my Halloween collections here at home in Connie Porcher's Celebrate365 Magazine! You can see a fun collage within an article of Halloween goodness around my house in her Fall 2010 issue. It just came out! From my own collection of Halloween originals, I promised to auction off a very special Bat Candy Bowl that I am pictured with in this fun publication. So, you can meet "Sweet Billy" the bat bowl and see lots more photos of him on eBay as his auction just listed tonight. Both functional and fun, you can place him on display, and he will literally hug your sweets! Fill him with candies, and expect years of giggles and grins to come as each Halloween approaches. The winner of the auction receives both the Bat and a signed copy of Celebrate365!
CLICK HERE to see more, and many thanks for your kind bids of support :)

Cheers & Good Luck,
~ Johanna


* A peek at "Sweet Billy"......


* Another look at "Sweet Billy" with the signed copy of Celebrate365 Fall 2010. You can see a glimpse of the photo where I'm holding him out for the readers to see!


* Cute profile, huh? His dimensional wings wrap from inside to the backside of the bowl....


* And another peek at Sweet Billy next to this fun Halloween Collector's issue!

Please visit his AUCTION page to see more! Thanks for looking..... and thank you Connie for sharing my love of Halloween collectibles with your readers!

* OH, and speaking of Halloween Collectibles....
Please Mark your Calendars for my Halloween Web Sale, this Wednesday evening! I will be offering about a dozen one of kind pieces, and will also have a link to a variety of Signed Halloween Reproduction Collectors Sets! So, if you're interested, but would like to know more, please join my e-mailing list by just sending me a quick message to: johanna@johannaparkerdesign.com

See you then!

Collector Spotlight!...

I wanted to share another fun Collector Spotlight with you this month! Through a chain of events, my collector friend Kevin in New Jersey stumbled across my Halloween folk art collectibles, and the rest is history. Since then, he has been adding both my originals and reproductions to his growing collection of Halloween decor. Fortunately, he had a moment to share some of his own photos with us, but he admits that much more of what he has collected, including several of my originals, are still in storage. So, perhaps we'll get to see the full collection next year. Kevin recently relocated, so I'm sure it's a bit of a challenge just finding all the goodies he has been accumulating! For now, enjoy a peek at what he has on display this year along with a fun Q & A! Thank you for sharing Kevin :)



J: How did you learn about my Halloween folk art?
K: I bought a Scott Smith item at a gift shop and stumbled across his Halloween and Vine website, saw your collection and had to have some. When I attended H&V last year I had a whole game plan. My plan was to dart to your table fist, place my orders and then dash to Scott's & Greg's and then place an order and see what was left.


* My original Base Chamber Vase Owl is surrounded here by two whimsical Greg Guedel carvings...

J: How long have you been collecting my originals?
K: Only about 2 or 3 years.


* A variety of collectible Halloween folk art pieces are on display in Kevin's Craftsmen-style curio cabinet...

* A Johanna Parker reproduction black cat candy container, third from left resides amongst Kevin's collection atop his curio cabinet and includes an eye catching witch and JOL boy from Scott Smith and a coffin boy from Living Dead Dolls...

J: What is it about my creations that captures your imagination?
K: They are so unique, and the fact they are each hand made. I love originals!

* Kevin proudly displays an array of candy container originals on the various shelves. The black cat and owl piece are Johanna Parker originals and Lori Rudolph of Retro Rudolph's created the devil and smiling jack-o'-lantern. The orange cat & jack combo piece up top is vintage...

J: Where have you had the best luck in acquiring my original pieces; shows, web sales, Collector's Catch, eBay, etc?
K: Web sales, and too many at H&V. (Still paying those off...haha)

* Another one of my one of a kind owl candy containers shares a spot next to a whimsical Scott Smith skelly top-hat creation.

J: Do you have a favorite piece in your private collection?
K: Hmmm, tough questions. I wouldn't part with any but I'm fond of the owl you made me.

* Yet another one a kind owl from my studio to Kevin's house. I wonder if this is the owl he's referring to? He has quite a few!

J: Is there anything in particular you suggest I try making in the future?
K: Witches, maybe a Dracula or Frankenstein.

* Speaking of witches, it looks like Kevin has at least one of my original witches! I believe she is a couple of years old, but looks pretty good for her age :)


* Back to the curio cabinet, Kevin has a trio of my Halloween buckets designed for Bethany Lowe Designs intermixed with a black cat from Greg Guedel.

*A variety of collectible Halloween folk art pieces resides on Kevin's antique buffet as well...Left to right: Johanna Parker reproduction JOL from Primitives by Kathy, Greg Guedel devil & witch, Johanna Parker reproduction black cat from Primitives by Kathy, Katherine Webber witch & Scott Smith JOL man. OH to be in such great company!!

What fun! Many thanks Kevin for allowing us to peek inside your new home to see how you decorate for the haunting season. We look forward to seeing more from you in the future, and I very much appreciate your love for my Halloween folk art as do the other artists that you represent in your collection. If I left anyone out, please let me know and I will offer you credit.

Cheers & Happy Halloween!

~ Johanna