Steve Berry's The Amber Room Book Review

If you love thrillers like Ian Fletcher's James Bond stories, you will likely enjoy Steve Berry's books. If you have been to St. Petersburg, Russia, or you are going there, you will definitely want to check out his first book as shown here, The Amber Room. If you are going to Russia and you have the chance, I would definitely recommend reading the book before your trip.

Steve Berry's fictional work The Amber Room is especially fascinating because it is based on the existence of a man made marvel and World War II mystery the site of which you can actually visit in Russia. The book is a mystery thriller, set in the world of art and based loosely on the true story of the Amber Room, which legend says the Nazis took when they invaded the Soviet Union.

I was particularly interested in The Amber Room because I had the opportunity to visit the port of St. Petersburg, Russia, for two days on a cruise. St. Petersburg was my favorite port and it was while on a cruise ship excursion to the truly resplendent Catherine's Palace in Tsarkskoe Selo that I learned of the existence and saw first hand The Amber Room.

The Amber Room that we visited that day in Catherine's Palace is actually a replica of the original Amber Room, recreated by Russia and Germany after the war because the original room is still missing. However, even this replica of the original room was beautiful as I suppose it should be since it cost $6 million dollars to create.

This book was interesting and entertaining but be warned that it also contained violence, sex and profanity. With regard to  profanity, Berry has since said that this is his only book that has excessive profanity. He said, "It was an experiment, as there's a character in that story who says just about anything. He was fun to write but I learned that excessive profanity is not all that necessary." In any case, I am sure that this book would be rated R, if they rated books in the same way that they rate movies. If it had been a movie, it would have probably been too violent for me although the idea of this book as a movie is actually intriguing.

If you can tolerate the issues, I do recommend this book. I have since enjoyed many more Steve Berry novels. If you are a reader and looking for a new author to 'consume,' do check him out.  The Amber Room and his other novels are available in all formats from hardcover through to Kindle. You can click here to order your copy of The Amber Room from Amazon.

Brenda
Treasures By Brenda

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The Best Picture Hooks for Drywall

Available on Amazon

These hooks for hanging pictures are so amazing I'd be willing to do an Infomercial about them!

I first noticed the hooks advertised on TV a few years back, and remember thinking I really should give these a try. Well, I finally did...and yep, they're amazing. 

They're called 'The Monkey Hook', in fact the package says 'The Amazing Monkey Hook', with each hook holding up to 50lbs. Actually, they have hooks for various weights, so be sure to check the package to ensure it's the weight you wanted.

You don't need any tools whatsoever to put up a picture..not one tool. There's no mess, no major damage to the walls, no hammers, no plugs for the wall, and no nails for screws. Best of all, there's no need to try and find wall-studs. Use these directly on the drywall, where there isn't a stud, even for those heavier pictures.

For women, or at least for me, I found these hooks to be a HUGE time saver. I no longer ask my husband to put pictures on the wall.

How They Work:

They're shaped in a curve.

With the end of the curved hook, simply work a little hole into the wall then turn it upwards inside the wall where the hook then grips onto the drywall, leaving you with a nice little, but strong hook to hang your pictures on.

The absolute best part is they barely leave a mark on the wall. All you see when the photo is taken down is a tiny pinprick where the hook initially was.

If you've never tried The Monkey Hook, don't hesitate because it works exactly as it claims it does. I highly recommend these hooks. They're all I use now.

I'll add that I trust the hooks more than I do hooks that just stick to the wall, especially for heavy items.

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Canadians and Thanksgiving, The Time is Now!

This coming weekend while our friends south of the Border will be still dreaming about Turkey and all the fixings, Canadians will be in Full Turkey Mode!
It's time to get out the fancy glasses, a nice tablecloth, napkins, china and all the things we save for a "special day". For my family, it doesn't get more special than Thanksgiving. We like to celebrate and we like to do it up right!
Canadian Thanksgiving has had it's day celebrated at many different times of the Calendar year.  It was only in 1957 that Canadian passed a law that Thanksgiving would be celebrated on the second Monday in October.

Until that time, Canadians had sometimes celebrated the holiday and sometimes did not.  In the late 1850's it was celebrated in June following the end of one of the many battles of Upper and Lower Canada.  At that time Thanksgiving was only celebrated 6 times in a 15 year period.

In 1872 it was celebrated in April when the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) was returned to health, from a very serious illness.

So you see in Canada, we don't have the same attachment to Thanksgiving that our American cousins have.  Ours is still a very "young" holiday.
It doesn't mean that we don't do it up right, though. Most families will go that extra mile to make Thanksgiving dinner something to remember.
The important word is "Holiday", who doesn't enjoy those.  Added to the holiday is good food and family get togethers and you have a "holiday" that everyone enjoys.

Just to make it even more special, we will have all the fixings, Turkey and stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, squash soup, or a vegetable, some green salads and dessert of course.

Just to make everything perfect, a beautiful table and all the things needed to make dinner wonderful, joyful and thankful. While it's early for a lot of people to be thinking about Thanksgiving, just know that up north, we will be dining on Turkey and feeling very, very stuffed! Happy Thanksgiving to all, whenever you celebrate.

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Review of Tips on Photographing Waterfalls

Photographing Michigan Waterfalls

Melting Snow Equals Beautiful Waterfalls

The Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan is known for large snowfalls. It is not unusual to have over 200 inches of snow in a season and the record snowfall stands at 390.4 inches according to a sign we saw in the Keweenaw Peninsula. When all of this snow melts in the spring the waterfalls in the area are full of rushing water. In the UP you will find over 324 different waterfalls.

When we visited, in mid June, we found waterfalls everywhere we went. Many times we would pull off the road and hear the rushing water. Other times we would follow signs that led us to paths to the nearby waterfalls.

Earlier in the spring, I had attended a class where the instructor gave us tips on photographing waterfalls, so I was anxious to try out these tips and photograph some waterfalls.

On this page, I will pass on the tips that worked for me as I show you photographs from 5 of the waterfalls I photographed in Michigan. We returned to Michigan in September and was able to photograph the beautiful Tahquamenon Falls. I am adding that photo near the end of this page.

all photos by myself-mbgphoto

Alger Falls - forgetting the tips

The first waterfall that I photographed was on the side of a busy road. My husband pulled off the road and I jumped out with my camera. The ground in front of the waterfall was rocky and hilly and I thought I could shoot it without a tripod. 

I use aperture priority when I shoot. This allows me to pick the aperture and the camera sets the speed. In order to get a slower speed to get the smooth waters that I like to take you have to use a larger number on your aperture. Ideally I would like to use an F22 or higher but without a tripod the largest number I could use successfully for this photo was a F11. This gave me a speed at 1/20 a second. It was not really good enough for what I wanted, but then I was in a rush. 

The resulting photo is, in my opinion, mediocre. In the photos that follow you will see the results when I use the following tips.

1. Always use a tripod 
2. Slow down and take your time 
3. Use a polarizing filter to reduce the glare and slow the speed 
4. Use a remote shutter release

Munising Falls - 50 foot drop

 

This beautiful waterfall was located near where we were staying in Munising. We parked in a lot and then I walked a well maintained path into the woods for about 1/2 mile to reach two of the viewing platforms for the waterfall. This waterfall has a breathtaking 50 foot drop into a canyon. 

The platform for viewing made it easy for me to set up my tripod to get a good shot. A tripod is essential to get the smooth looking water in this photo. I shot this photo using the aperture setting of F22 this gave a shutter speed of .6 seconds. I had my ISO set at 200 and used a shutter release to keep the camera steady.

 

Photography Equipment - three items to capture perfect waterfall photos

• If you are looking to get the look of the smooth flowing water in your waterfall photos, a tripod is an essential piece of equipment. The tripod listed below is the one I use. It is not a high priced piece of equipment and it works with all of my cameras (yes even my point and shoot). To get the steady shot you need for waterfalls I highly recommend using a tripod.
• Using a polarizing lens will help you to slow down your shutter speed to get the smooth look of the water. It also helps to reduce any glare. This is especially important if you are trying to shoot on a sunny day. On a cloudy day it wouldn't be necessary.
• A shutter release is also helpful in keeping your camera steady. I have one that attaches to my camera, but I think a remote one would be really nice.

Tripod on Amazon.com

Smooth Flowing Water - Wagner Falls

The Wagner falls was also near Munising, Michigan. It starts with Wagner Creek which flows over a number of rocky ledges to create this beautiful waterfall. There was also a tree limb that had fallen across the area, which added to the falls of the water.

I got to this waterfall by walking a short gravel path to a viewing platform. As was the case for the Munising Falls, the platform made a perfect place to set up my tripod. I was shooting from several angles, moving around the platform, when another photographer came and stood near me. He watched me for awhile and then inquired as to whether I had a polarizing filter in my camera bag. Now, I knew that was a way to slow down my shutter speed, but I had forgotten to add the filter. I thanked him for the tip and then went and put on the polarizing filter. This made a really nice difference.

It was a sunny day and the filter helped to reduce the glare and slow down the speed. I was able to shoot this photo using a F25 aperture and a speed of .5 seconds. I was pleased with the smoothness of the water in the resulting photo.

Wagner Falls with an Aperature of F8

Jacobs Falls

The next two waterfalls are ones that we encountered as we were visiting lighthouses in the Keweenaw Peninsula in upper Michigan. In both of these photos I remembered to use all of the waterfall photography tips I had learned. I took my time, used a tripod, used my polarizing filter and used an off camera shutter release. 

In this photo of Jacob Falls I used a setting of F22 which gave me a speed of 1/3 second. I also pushed my ISO down to 100 to further slow the speed. 

In the photo of Eagle River falls I used a F22 setting at 1/15 second. 

Eagle River Falls

 

Tahquamenon Falls - beauty in the fall

The Tahquamenon Falls are beautiful. They have a orangish brown color that comes from the tanic acid that leaches into the river from cedar and hemlock swamps. When we were there in September of 2013 I took many photos of the falls. Sometimes I tried to capture some of the fall colors of the trees to pick up on the orange color of the water. On other photos I looked for a way to frame the falls to show off the beauty of the falls.

In this photo I found a place where I could take the photo with a tree stem on each side of the picture. I think it works well to frame the photo.

My Waterfall Photos on Zazzle

Michigan Waterfalls by mbgphoto
Try post card printing using zazzle

Michigan Waterfalls Greeting Card by mbgphoto
Shop for Michigan waterfalls Cards online at Zazzle.com

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Reviewing The Stanwood Yarn Ball Winder

A Yarn Winder For The Crafter

Using my Stanwood Yarn Ball Winder has made my yarn stash so much easier to live with. If you crochet, knit or do other crafts that require yarn; you know that it doesn't take long before those leftover skeins of yarn start to look messy and are actually hard to store. Try to figure out what brand and color one of those leftovers is and you can just forget about it. You lost the label ages ago so you can't be sure. I now have a tool that helps me keep organized with my yarns.

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Stanwood Needlecraft YBW-A Hand-Operated Yarn Ball Winder, 4-Ounce

After decades of crocheting, trust me I have quite the yarn stash! Once I purchased my Stanwood yarn winder, at least it is easier to figure out just what is what. Some of the older skeins are still mysteries as to brand and actual color name because the label is gone but the new yarns are in neat little yarn cakes that I can roll up the label and place in the center for later reference.

Watch this video to see how the yarn ball winder works. After watching Mikey, I bought my first yarn winder and I am so glad that I did.

Funny thing is that when the grandchildren come to visit, they ask if I have any yarn to be wound! They love turning the crank and making those neat little yarn cakes! Yes, I've been known to save a partial skein of scrap yarn for them to wind for me, its just what Grandmas do you know.

One would think that the best selling item would be either yarn or crochet hooks but I have not found that to be the case. Instead my number on best seller is this exact item, the Standwood Yarn Ball Winder.

I know how happy I am that I now don't have those deflated skeins of yarn in my craft room and I have never regretted purchasing this handy little tool. I keep it secured to one of my tables so that it is always ready to go.

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Review of The Obituary Society by Jessica Randall

Sometimes light escape reading is just right when we aren't feeling up to tackling nonfiction or literary novels. Times of illness or convalescence call for lighter than normal reading. That is what I wanted after my cervical spine surgery.

Perhaps with flu season fast approaching, it would be good to have this book on hand -- just in case. Of course, it's also a fun read when you are perfectly healthy and just don't want to get involved in a book that you can't put down when you have commitments to keep. 

I was only in the hospital overnight and through lunch the next day. I did manage to start and finish one book on my Kindle before I went home: The Obituary Society by Jessica L. Randall. I was in a post-op drug and sleep-deprived haze when I read the book, but I remember enjoying it. 

It's set in Auburn, a small town in the Midwest, and the main character, Lila, inherits her grandfather's house there. She lives with her Aunt Ada while the house, which needs a lot of work, is being repaired. Strange things happen whenever she's working at the house, however, and it would seem that someone doesn't want her there. Some incidents are even a bit frightening.

There is a lot of humor in the book that revolves around the relationships of Aunt Ada's friends and associates in her church. Some of the ladies collect clippings of the obituaries of their friends and neighbors in scrapbooks and discuss them at meetings of their Obituary Society.

There is also mystery. Lila has been warned never to go near the pond at the back of her property, but she decides to explore it by herself anyway. What happened there almost killed her. It was a place most people avoided because it was considered dangerous.

One of the most humorous series of interactions provides a touch of romance. One of Ada's friends, Gladys, tries in very obvious ways to match Lila with her grandson, Max, whom Lila doesn't like much at all.

This book was just right for hospital reading. It had enough action in the plot to grab me and keep me interested in spite of my condition, and I needed the humor. I was satisfied with the ending that resolved the mysteries and put the right people together. Another thing of interest at the end is a collection of all the recipes mentioned in the book. Many of the chapters deal with church dinners and such and women who have special recipes they are known for.

If you're looking for some easy light reading, The Obituary Society is a winner. It would be ideal to have in front of you when you are waiting for slow websites to load or programs to update. I often have my kindle handy for such occasions when I can only read in spurts, with one eye on the computer so I can click at the right times.  Enjoy. 

The Obituary Society: A Paranormal Women's Fiction Novel (An Obituary Society Novel Book 1)Check Price

For more of my book reviews, please check out Bookworm Buffet, where you will find a varied menu for bookworms.

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Train Your Cat to Use the Toilet

Kitty Toilet Training Kit!

They actually have Training Tools for this!

Back in the 1970's we had a very smart Siamese cat who learned to do this, but believe it or not we DID NOT train him!

True Story

In the middle of the night my dad, the jokster teaser type, woke up to use the washroom in the master bedroom ... before he could do his business, he sees our Cat squatting on the toilet taking a pee-poop (cause the cat did both on the toilet!) .... I can just imagine dad's expression!

The next morning he told Mom and the rest of us about it, and NONE of us believed him, we just thought he was joking as usual.

Well, mom was the next person to see our Cat do his magic, then I was the third.

Our cat learned this simply by watching people in the bathroom. WOW - Now that should scare the heck out all of us.  He was so incredibly smart!

When our neighbor would watch our cat, she only had to flush the toilets. Can you imagine telling your cat sitter, 'there's no litter to change, just freshen up the food dishes and flush the toilets' ... and be sure the lids are always up! When I think back, I can hardly believe it.

I've read online about these kitty toilet training kits featured above, but if your cat is smart enough to learn by watching like ours was, then save the money and just let them in to observe on a regular basis!

Here's a video from YouTube that shows you how to train your cat to use the toilet

I like to think my Cat was a Pioneer, after all, he didn't require training, and mastered this in the 70's before Kitty knew he could get famous on YouTube.

I should add, although we've had many pet cats since this little genius, not one of them was able to duplicate this ... and we've never attempted a training. He still holds the record in our house for the 'most outstanding cat of his and many generations'.

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Autumn Artistic Endeavors Craft Review

The first day of Fall has arrived and artists and crafters are inspired to create in natures' Autumn Season colors.  Reds and yellows, orange and brown show up in art and photography and a variety of handmade items.  Let's review a few of these.

Autumn Leaves

Autumn Leaves Stationery Note Card by mbgphoto
 

The beautiful colors of the Autumn leaves draw thousands of visitors each year to New England and the mountains and forests across the country.  Mary Beth (mbgphoto) has captured many gorgeous views of the colorful leaves with her lovely photos, many of which you can see in her Autumn Art article here on Review This!  You can also find her Fall photography featured  on a variety of items in her Zazzle stores, such as this "Autumn Beauty" note card from her Beauty in Nature page.

Pumpkin Patch

 

(c) Personal Photo/Wednesday Elf

Autumn is the season for harvest time and Halloween.  Pumpkins are the focal point of this season, especially for hand-crafted items.  From playtime plushies to handmade dishcloths for your kitchen chores to accessories such as purses, pumpkins are a fun theme. 

Plush Halloween Octopus or Stuffed Spider

Halloween Octopus or Spider

Plush octopus measures 2 inches tall and 6 inches across the eight tentacles. Each octopus is made with acrylic yarn and filled with a small amount of polyester fiberfill.

Colors include Orange, Black, Speckled Black (black with specks of color), and a two-tone combination of orange and black. The black octopus could also be a Halloween 'spider'. :-)

These cute plush octopus are fun to have around for Halloween or anytime of the year. They also make fun Halloween party decorations.

They are available in the Etsy Shop of Coastal Crochet Crafts.  

Autumn Time Table Runner for Halloween

 

This reversible table runner is made with prewashed cotton fabrics. One side has assorted Halloween fabrics in traditional orange and black. The fabrics have Jack o lanterns, bats, pumpkins and candy corn. The reverse side is black and covered in candy corn. This table runner has been quilted and there is a layer of cotton batting.

Table runners are an easy way to decorate your table for any holiday, occasion or home decor.  This table runner is 14" wide and 38" long.

Quilted Fall Coin Purse

The Halloween Quilted Table Runner is just one of a wide variety of table runners, lanyards, and quilted purses in the Etsy Shop of Cute PurseNalities, which also features handy coin purses and fabric lanyards. Pictured is a handmade quilted coin purse in an Autumn design.

Cooking in the Fall

 

Chocolate Halloween Ghost Train Cake

Cooking, to me, is both an art and a craft.  Creative recipes are something to be treasured, as Sylvestermouse Cynthia shows us with her Chocolate Halloween Ghost Train Cake tutorial.  

The recipe and tutorial for this fantastic cake are described in her "Cooking for the Holidays" blog. 

Pumpkin Potholder and Washcloth for your Autumn Kitchen Decor

Pumpkin Duo Potholder and Dishcloth

A potholder is a necessity when baking and it's delightful to have one that matches the Autumn theme. Pumpkins are a large part of this Harvest-Time season, so let's have some pumpkin kitchen helpers.

This pumpkin potholder is handmade in crochet in washable orange acrylic yarn with a green top. It measures 9.5 x 11 inches and is made double-thick.

Cleaning up from baking your pumpkin dessert is more fun when you have a pumpkin shaped dishcloth to use.  It measures a generous sized 9.5 x 9.5 inches.  Handmade in cotton yarn makes this dishcloth a joy to use for your kitchen chores.  


This kitchen duo in the shape of a pumpkin of a potholder and matching dishcloth can be found at Wednesday Elf's eBay Site. 

The Fall Season has Arrived

So, enjoy the Fall Foliage in photos or have fun with hand-crafted harvest-time pumpkins, or bake a favorite seasonal dessert while you enjoy the cooler weather and the colors of Autumn.  Welcome to Fall.

(c) 10/3/2015 Wednesday Elf

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Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie Review for Children

One Great Halloween Movie

I have always loved Winnie the Pooh, plus I have always loved Halloween, so it naturally follows that I would enjoy a Winnie the Pooh Halloween movie.  Throw in a purple elephant, and you are guaranteed a smash hit.

Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie is an absolutely adorable video featuring our favorite Pooh characters.  They sing, dance and delight us throughout this cute little tale about Halloween night.  My children love this movie!  They can sing the songs for you and to this day, we all look into the mirror and sing "I scare myself".

Everyone should join Pooh, Rabbit, Piglet, Eeyore, Roo, Lumpy and Tigger, too, for their Halloween adventure, but I should warn you in advance,  children are likely to want to watch this movie on occasions other than just Halloween.  You may also find yourself watching it when they are in school.

Halloween Night

Just a teaser ~ I won't tell the entire story

When Roo shares his knowledge of trick or treating with Heffalump, affectionately known as Lumpy, they both get excited about the prospect of gathering treats together on their first Halloween.

Under the instruction of Rabbit, Halloween night is meticulously organized.  While Pooh eats all the Halloween candy, everyone else is distracted by Tigger who is busy scaring Lumpy with tales of the Gobloon and Spookables.  Upon discovery that all the candy is gone, Lumpy and Roo go in search of the Gobloon in hopes of getting their wish for more candy to be granted.

The challenge to overcome fear is almost too much for Lumpy.  The challenge to keep a frightened Lumpy on course is almost too much for Roo.

Now, I am not going to tell you what happens from this point on. You will have to journey with Heffalump and Roo to find out if they find the Gobloon and get their wish of more candy for Trick-or-Treat.

However, I will share the Youtube video of Tigger singing, dancing and entertaining the group.

 

Cover Story 

Copied from the back of the DVD cover for easy reading

It's a hilariously haunting Halloween in the 100 Acre Wood.  Roo's best new pal, Lumpy, is excited to trick-or-treat for the first time...until Tigger warns them about the dreaded Gobloon who'll turn you into a Jaggedy Lantern if he catches you.  But if they catch the Gobloon before it catches them, they get to make a wish!

With Roo by his side, Lumpy knows he can face anything.  So when Pooh eats all the Halloween candy, Lumpy and Roo decide to be "brave together, brave forever" and catch the Gobloon so they can wish for more.  When the two friends become separated, however, Roo decides to wish for something even more important.

Filled with adventure, unconditional friendship and lots of laughter, Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie is a sweet treat for the whole family.

Bonus Features on the DVD

Bonus features include:
Games & Activities ~ Trick or Re-treat, Pass the Pumpkin, Pooh's Boo Bingo, and Heffalump Halloween Party Planner:  Recipes, Printable Party Invitations, & Decorate Your Own Jaggedy Lantern.

I am also featuring the Heffalump plush below.   My children always snuggled with a plush animal while watching their favorite videos. 

 Pooh's Heffalump Halloween
MovieCheck Price Heffalump Lumpy & Roo Plush Toy - Elephant Kangaroo Stuffed AnimalCheck Price

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Top 7 Halloween Ornaments for Your Halloween Tree

I just had to share this awesome Halloween tree. Isn't it cool? Problem is, it's empty. Maybe you could use it. I mean, you have to put your Halloween ornaments somewhere, right? Wait a minute. You do collect Halloween ornaments, don't you? Whether you have a collection already or if you've been waiting to get started, then you're in the right place. Read on to learn more.

Collecting Halloween ornaments is becoming so popular, it's almost scary!  More and more people are decorating their home or their office with Halloween trees - and the more ornaments, the better.  To decorate your Halloween tree, choose ornaments with a theme or mix and match using all the ornaments that you love.

If you haven't already, why not start a Halloween ornament collection for your family?  For younger children, Disney or Peanuts ornaments are fun.  Once they're older, add black cats, ghosts, or other favorite Halloween figures.  Chances are you'll be able to find their (or your own) favorite character in the form of a Halloween ornament that they can reuse every year on their very own Halloween tree. Or add them all to a big Halloween tree that the whole family can enjoy.

Cute or Creepy?

The choice of cute Halloween ornaments only, creepy ghoulish ones, or a mixture of both is entirely up to you. In fact, some people prefer to avoid the scariest themes of Halloween and focus more on a family-friendly theme with a harvest tree that can carry them right into Thanksgiving. You'll find plenty of ornaments designed to celebrate fall and the harvest season. And no worries about nightmares!

Here are some of the most popular collectible Halloween ornaments and themes.

  

1.  Radko Halloween Ornaments. You may be familiar with Christopher Radko blown glass ornaments with a Christmas theme. You might not have known it, but Radko makes Halloween ornaments, too. They're top quality, always with beautiful designs. For 2015, here's the blue skull ornament, La Calavara. Though actually designed for Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrations, nothing says creepy Halloween like a skull. Actually, with its glittery design and hand-painted cool colors of blue, purple, and silver, this one is really pretty and hardly scary at all. Well, maybe a little bit. In any case it's a great addition to a Radko ornament collection.

2.  Peanuts Halloween Ornaments. Everyone loves Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, Lucy, and the rest of the gang and there are plenty of Halloween ornaments that celebrate the Peanuts comics series. I love this Charlie Brown O'Lantern ornament. You'll probably find the most choices from the Peanuts Halloween collection on eBay, especially if you're looking for something specific, perhaps a keepsake ornament from a particular year that you're missing from your collection. Just click the link then customize the search if you don't see exactly what you have in mind.

3.  Hallmark Halloween Ornaments. Don't you just love this cookie cutter mouse ornament? It's actually from 2015, from Hallmark. If you didn't make it to the store to get yours, or if there's another that you've missed through the years, once again I recommend eBay for Hallmark Halloween ornaments. You'll find Peanuts ornaments here, too, so there's an overlap in the results, but Hallmark also features the Hauntington Collection, a zombie series, and much, much more. There's something for everyone with an emphasis on "cute."

 

4.  Witch Ornaments. Ah, the ever popular witch. I was drawn to this Kurt Adler Pixiepies witch ornament from 2012. You'll find plenty more witches to choose from at this link. Note that this is a big ornament at 13 inches, so she might not fit on your Halloween tree, but she'd look great hanging from a doorway or perhaps a chandelier. (Always check the description so you'll know what size ornament you're getting, especially if you have a tiny tree.)

5.  Black Cat Ornaments. I'm a cat lover, so black cat ornaments really appeal to me. I like glass ornaments, too, so that's why I chose this Halloween kitty to feature. Prefer something that's not breakable? Or maybe a cat that's part of a set? Then check these black cat ornaments at Amazon.

6.  Ghost Ornaments. When I think of ghosts, I think of friendly ghosts like this one, with smiles on their faces. We have some overlap from above again here, as this is a ghost ornament from Hallmark's 2014 collection. I think it's adorable. And again, I found the best selection of Halloween ghost ornaments on eBay. Check out the link and see which one you like best.

7.  Disney Halloween Ornaments. You might recognize these Disney Haunted Mansion Singing Ghosts from your last visit to a Disney theme park. These are from 2013 and would make a wonderful addition to your Halloween tree if you're a Disney family (I know there are plenty of you out there!). You'll find lots more familiar characters when you check out more Disney Halloween ornaments right here.

Those are the top seven Halloween Ornament themes for your consideration. Did you choose a favorite? If you're still looking or haven't found just the right theme yet, then give this link a try. Then let me know what you chose in a comment below. I'm dying to find out!

--Susan Deppner

Meet the Reviewer

Posted by Susan Deppner

About the Author

Susan Deppner is a baby boomer, a cancer survivor, and a Southerner who believes in the Golden Rule. She enjoys writing about food, faith, and fitness; health, home, and holidays; people, places, pets, and patriotism, and more. Follow Susan on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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