How to make a "Bewitched"-themed wreath for Halloween!

Just look at the awesomeness.  I did it all by myself (with the exception of Ben printing out the photos, because my printer is wonky.  Witch's honor).

 

So, how did I go about making this fantabulous wreathic ode to my favorite Mid-Century TV show?  How did I get the idea to do it?  WHY did I do it?

 

Well, I was tired of walking through Target, speciality stores, quaint antique shoppes, trolling around online,  and just not finding the perfect Halloween-Samhain wreath.  I wanted something that stood out from the rest, wasn't orange and black, and had no owls. Or bells.  I can't tell you how many Halloween wreaths I found that had black, metal bells.  What's with that?

 

Also, I wanted something witchy, something magickal to pay homage to my new-found leanings.  It had to be a perfect reflection of what I think of when I think of witchery: positive, mystical, celebratory, and maybe just a tad purple-bluelicious.

 

So, one I day, while viewing some clips of "Bewitched" on Youtube (because I do that), I came across the segment from "Serena Stops the Show".  You know the one. 

 

Where she sings, "Blow You a Kiss in the Wind", the song that Boyce and Hart then perform at the Cosmos Cotillion. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3cFkXSgfjg

 

Ah.  The Cosmos Cotillion.  How I always wished I could attend it.  Or any of the Witches' Balls.  Or stop in for a visit at Witches' Council.  Ethereal, smoky-yet elegant, and definitely otherworldly.  And every picture I found online didn't quite match the picture I image I had in my mind's eye.  Because, since childhood, I would dream about what lay beyond the scenes of said councils and balls and cotillions.  Those were the times when I hung around with Samantha and Serena and we sipped bubbly potions, feasted on the vast array of delicacies only found in that world between worlds, cast spells, and played practical jokes with Uncle Arthur.

 

And then it came to me.  A wreath informed by those wispy, crystalline images dancing in my head for over forty years.

 

Here's what I amassed:

 

* a styrofoam wreath circle

* purple, sequined bendable ribbon

* lavender-silver glitter ribbon

* silver sequined craft paper stock

* fourteen wood circles (eight 2" ones, six 2 1/2" ones)

* purple glitter glue

* glue stick

* black tempera paint

* small craft pins

* hot glue gun

* small picture hanger

* photos printed from online search

* crystal decorative chains

 

First, I covered the styrofoam circle with the lavender-silver glitter ribbon. I needed three spools of it. I used pins to pin it all in place. 

 

Then, I took the purple bendable ribbon and made foot-long accordions of it, pulling it out and pinning it in place on the back of the wreath, so it makes a funky, witchy sunflower. 

 

Next, I pinned the silver paper stock the the back, trimming the excess so there wasn't a big, ol'  square attached to the wreath.

 

After that, I painted the outer edges of the circles black, then decorated the dried paint with the glitter glue (this doesn't show up in the photo too clearly, but adds some depth when you see it up close).

 

I sat and scoured photos online until I found a wonderful mix of all my favorite "Bewitched" characters, with a preponderance of Serena and Samantha, naturally.  I was giddy when I found one of Tabitha in mid-conjure.  And, of course, Uncle Arthur served tableside.  I had my hubby print them out (thanks, sweetie!) on photo paper in either 2" or 2 1/2" circles, which I then cut out and affixed to the wood circles with my trusty glue stick.

 

Next, the wooden photo circles were hot glued in place.  I made sure to not make the pieces look like a series of clock numbers, alternating larger and smaller circles in an unstructured way.

 

To gild the lily, I first pinned the crystal chains (used two) after weaving them around the photos, then hot glued them securely onto the wreath. It adds that perfect bit of glimmer and decadence (Actually, I told my hubby that I was assembling a "Bewitched" wreath that will look a little like a drag queen.  I think the crystal chains achieved that effect nicely).

 

Then, to seal the deal, I printed out the iconic "Bewitched" logo on photo paper, and hot glued it to the center of the sequin paper.

 

All that was left to do was nail in the small picture hanger on the back et voila!  The perfect purple-silver-whimsy-magic spell Cosmos Cotillion wreath.  My childhood dreams of hanging out with my TV family have come true!

 

Photo from Samanthashaven.blogspot.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 









A Magical Christmas. A "Bewitched" Christmas.

When I look back on my childhood Christmases, my first recollection is the time I heard reindeer hooves on the roof.  I definitely, certainly, without a doubt, encountered a holiday miracle.  My Dad tucked me in on Christmas Eve and told me that the reindeer attempt to stay quiet at night because they don't want to alert children to Santa's arrival, but it's hard to stay completely quiet as there are eight reindeer, albeit tiny ones.  So he simply told me to stay vigilant and listen, listen, listen for the magic.  Because magic is an important part of Christmas, he'd say.  It was for me then -- and it is now.

Sure enough, about fifteen minutes later, I heard them - accompanied by wee bells.  Tiny, tinkling, crystalline bells rang out, hooves clip clopped like miniature wooden shoes.  Overwhelmed by the promise of Santa in close proximity, I stayed in bed and covered my head (just like I was told in the song, "Here Comes Santa Claus") and imagined the miraculous Jolly Elf entering through the window Dad left open a crack (we had no chimney) to keep Santa's job safe and easy.

That morning, Mom woke me up and told me Dad had something important to report.  I remember Dad entering my room, sitting at the foot of the bed, and telling me he found reindeer hoof prints out in the snow.

"They're very small, but I can tell they're not birds, they're not rabbits; they're reindeer!  Come take a look!"

A bundled-up Pam trundled outside, holding my Daddy's hand.  Sure enough: extra small hooves in the snow, made by what must have been a sleigh team of something the size of squirrels (but NOT squirrels).

Back inside, it was apparent that St. Nick made it in through the window unscathed, leaving me a plethora of mid-century toy store goodness (from the Official Southwest Side of Chicago North Pole Annex, Bargain Town, on Cicero Avenue, near 63rd Street, not far from Midway Airport.  That would make sense...) that perplexed and pixiliated tiny Pam.

Yes, I was an only child, so Santa always outdid himself every year.

I don't know about you, but a look at me in my jammies on this mid-60s Christmas morning reminds me of Tabitha from "Bewitched" so much, that it sparked me to find my favorite Christmas episode.  Thus my treat to you: the entire #123, "Humbug Not to be Spoken Here", their take on "A Christmas Carol".  Pay close attention to the second part, wherein you'll take a peek into the North Pole featuring sleek, mid-century reindeer.

Oh, and I love the fact that Samantha and Santa know each other like old friends.  Of COURSE they do!



Part One A: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y99cpVj7BGA

Part One B: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11i2pRSDSQM

Part Two: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqiH8bE2i1k

End Tag: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpfoQW9zjqw&list=PLF7EB3DF89619B590&index=5&feature=plpp_video

 (Here's Elizabeth Montgomery, apparently at an after party for the episode, because this scene is not in the actual episode, but she's wearing the same divine ensemble she has on in the final portion of the show.  It's a completely smashing jumpsuit that I want so badly, I can taste it.)


So tonight, when you're nodding off to slumber, make some room between sugar plums dancing to keep quiet and still and listen.

Just Listen.

Welcome to the natal day of Mid-Century Mystic! Let the nose-wiggling begin!

Greetings!  I've been anticipating writing such a blog for a while now, but needed an angel wink from the cosmos to make it happen.  And so it happened just about twenty minutes ago.

I was out, walking for fitness and participating in one of my usual walking meditations at the same very time (it's two, two, TWO life-affirming activities in ONE!), working through a particular conundrum I've had for a while:  I've had three separate psychics, completely unrelated to each other by acquaintance or location, look me squarely in the eye and ask, "Who's Samantha?"

I usually explain that I'm the biggest "Bewitched" fan they'll ever meet and pretty much leave it at that, since I truly don't know what the connection is for me.  They then, all three of them, mention that it's my spirit guide.

I've meditated on it, journalled, conducted rituals, thrown tarot spreads for clarity - nothing.  Then today, it came to me, as I entered the house and gazed upon our gorgeous Christmas tree, and my eye was drawn as if by ultra-magnetic powers to the Samantha Stephens ornament my friends Jon and Tom gave me a few years ago.

So, the combo of my Mid-century interests (which go way beyond Sammy) and my abilities in the spiritual realm (tarot, astrology, spiritual co-active coaching, to name a few) are overseen, inspired and coaxed by my spirit guide, whose name happens to be Samantha.  It all became crytal clear!  And I immediately was hit with the words: "mid-century mystic" (I clearly saw it in the"Bewitched" font, in my mind's eye).  I threw it to the wall - and it stuck like a 60s starburst clock.

And so it was, on this day, December 5, 2011, that Mid-Century Mystic was born.  It's my blog, my calling, and what makes me sparkle like stars in the ceiling of the Cosmos Cotillion. 

Curious?  Well then, I urge you, by all heavenly means, to stay tuned and read on...

(And to have a natal day shared with Walt Disney, the ultimate mid-century mystic,  is pretty smackdabby spectacular.)