In southern California, it's usually so hot on Halloween that we don't carve our jack-o'-lanterns until the day before or, better yet, on the day, itself. Any earlier and you risk them rotting before you can enjoy them.
But these guys? These will never rot, and they'll last as long as the interwebs are up and running...
I'm on a quest to promote real, live, human-crafted art because i am so thoroughly disgusted by the AI slop I keep running across, posing as "original art."
And I'm sorry to say, I'm still on the fence about 3D printed "art." I mostly hate it because human hands didn't sculpt it. I will likely add that to my "hill I'll fight on" list.
Anywho, here's some art by my friend Mandy, whose "Witch" was featured on October 4th. She does some gorgeous work with watercolors (a tough medium to master!) and has been known to sculpt a thing or two!
While she doesn't have anything up for sale right this instant, she does have an Etsy store you can follow and get notifications when it's got stuff to buy.
Obviously, I encourage people to buy handmade, because when you don't, the crafters/painters/sculptors/potters disappear forever, because they can't continue to purchase the expensive materials with which they make their art. I've had an alarming amount of artists tell me recently that they're quitting and selling everything because they can no longer afford to stay in business. It's disheartening.
Anyway, here are some gorgeous pieces, used with permission!
I know that I've shared the Antler Guy Saga before, but it's been a long time, and I thought it would be fun for anyone who hasn't run across my blog before!
For those who don't know, there's a whole, thirteen chapter story about Antler Guy and Neighbor Steve. In the author's words,
It's hard, living in suburbia. It's harder when your neighbor is an eldritch abomination.
A story about The Abominations (they took the name with which neighbor Steve dubbed them) and their adventures in Suburbia. Originally a series of Tumblr posts
And if you haven't read the story in a while, it's a great time of year for a little lighthearted, neighborhood fun with Antler Guy, the Abominations, and Neighbor Steve, not to mention the HOA...
Sure, it's late in the season, but not too late to visit a top haunted house in your area!The Haunted Attraction Association has a list of top haunts by state for you to get your spooky on! From their website:
The best haunted houses in America share one mark of distinction: Top Haunt certification from the Haunted Attraction Association. It is the closest thing the haunt industry has to a seal of excellence, and the attractions that hold it include the biggest, longest-running, and scariest haunted houses in the country. This page lists every certified Top Haunt by state, with dates, official sites, and deeper looks at the haunts we have covered and interviewed.What Is a Top Haunt?
The Haunted Attraction Association is the haunt industry’s trade body, with a mission of protecting customers, promoting haunted attractions, and educating the professionals who run them. To earn Top Haunt certification, an attraction must be an HAA member and meet a ten-point standard covering safety, professionalism, and industry leadership. The 2026 list recognized a record 74 attractions across 27 states, spanning the long-running Iconic tier plus the newer Gold and Silver tiers, up from 67 in 2025. This page reflects that 2026 list, the most recent published.
With certain haunted houses getting a reputation for being unsafe for patrons for various reasons, having a certification from the HAA is truly the gold standard.
Haunt safely, my friends!
The intricate work of Hector Javier Martinez Mendez and Gabriela Perez de Martinez (Mata Ortiz, 20th century).
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