Heads Up – It’s Halloween, What’s In The Shops – Poundland, Poundstretcher & The Range

It’s that time of year when the shops are starting to get in all sorts of creepy things that I can use either for crafting or to decorate The Towers for Iris and Bertie’s traditional Halloween sleepover.

After most Malvern Flea/Antiques fair Lu and I generally, if our feet can take it, head out to the large Poundland on the Malvern Shopping Park.  To be honest I don’t do that well with their seasonal stuff, they never seem to have the things that everyone is raving about on the Poundland Appreciation Page on Facebook, but even though it was August Bank Holiday Monday I still managed to get a few of the things I couldn’t get last year, as well as some of their new stuff  …….

…… in particular the pumpkin and cauldron mugs (still £1 although in Poundland now, you really have to watch the prices as £2,3,4,and more are creeping in)

I thought the mugs might be a bit difficult to drink out of, but they are pretty OK. The pumpkin one now being my mug of choice for the next two months.  I think the cauldron ones would look nice with a small plant in?  I also picked up two pumpkin candleholders (£1) which again would look nice with a succulent in after the event.

I also picked up two of the now traditional (to Poundland) rubber ducks for Iris and Bertie as a spooky bath time is very much de rigueur during a sleepover. The state of my bathroom after two cans of bath foam (79p Home Bargains), glowsticks and light up bath toys is nobodies business!

I was also tempted to buy two polystyrene LED pumpkins (£1) to adorn my festive shelves plus two bags of the very small glitter pumpkins (£1), I think there’s 20 per bag, for crafting but not sure what yet.

There was only one thing I would really have liked to have found, which also eluded me last year, a horror head doll tealight holder, which I know Marc wanted too.  It’s early days yet, Poundland introduce their seasonal goods in phases, so hopefully while on my various travels I’ll manage to find a couple.

Now on to Poundstretcher ………..

I don’t do Gonks/Gnomes, I just don’t get them, but I know thousands do.  Poundland have 4 different varieties this year (no pictures sorry). This year they cost £3 each and the reason why I am sorely tempted to turn off the appreciation page for a week or so as everyone is clambering to find them. They are already on eBay for around £9 each or three for £24.99!

But for Gonk/Gnome fans the above gaggle are from Poundstretcher and cost £3.99, which I think are marginally better quality and don’t seem to have found their way on eBay yet.

Poundstretcher are also carrying the sweet pots again this year, 6 for £1.49.  These days we are certainly getting less for our money, a couple of years ago they were in nets of 10 in Poundland for £1.

These metallic wall decorations were £1 a pack.

They are not that big really, but I thought they would look great on say black spray painted book covers, tins, decanters/bottles, vases or any charity shop bits and pieces, so watch this space.

Then, I found these skeleton garlands after spending far too many hours combing the internet for them a few months ago only to find that they were all horrendously expensive!  These cost £2.99 for six ……….

……. but they had me mourning for these (above)  bought a couple of years back (thank you Marc for re-gifting them back to me!!!).  They are much bigger and feel more substantial than the new ones, but at least I have an ample source for now. They work out at 50p each which isn’t too bad.  Their legs are jointed for maximum dangle effect.

As you can see I bought a few packs!  Stripping them from their cards and nooses as soon as I got home.  These I think I will keep for Christmas if all goes well, but following on from a long conversation with Marc I think I am going to have a go at trying to sell the original bigger ones as dressed up, be-winged Halloween/Goth fairies (as featured on Fiddle Fart before).  I am going to set a whole day aside, going hell for leather making them up and then see how they fare, so watch this space. I also need to make my own special version to put in a dome just for me!

These novelty sanitizer dispensers (£1 each) also, somehow, managed to find their way into my basket, a silly something for Iris and Berties’s school bags for October …….

…….. as well as the above, its horrendous and very loud, again for our sleepover, I am not sure if I dare actually put it on my front door as it’s sure to upset my miserable neighbour upstairs, sadly it might have to go on the bathroom door instead ……….  but we shall see.

Moving on the to The Range, black and silver, flat foil stickers for Halloween Elizabeth Shaw mint favours (99p per pack) ………

……. and the more colourful foam backed stickers for a more dimensional affect for mints, cards, tags etc. also 99p, which are calling out for a googly eye here and there.

I also picked up a a pack of Halloween paperchains, always good on a card as well as a way of Iris and Bertie helping decorate my flat – 89p per pack.

Well that’s it for now, it’s early days, so I expect I’ll be finding one or two other choice bits and pieces on my travels, however there’s no use in just collecting them, they need to be used!