Halloween Bindle-Bust?

Well, it appears Halloween 2013 might be a bit of a bust for the ol'Bindle this year... as this exhausted codger very likely steps down to enjoy the work of everyone else. And at least for that, I can't wait!

In the meantime, I will lump up my own fail as the following learning experience...

First, I thank everyone who gave their attention to Bindlegrim's previous offering: the 2012 limited-edition vintage-style 12-sided lanterns. I hope that those autumn-minded folks who grabbed up one or two in 2012 and/or early 2013 will find these a great addition to the coming Halloween glow! (So amazed that all the 2012 pane designs sold out. Thank you again...!)

I thought then, in 2012, that I was finally on the right track with a holiday production calendar... (though things certainly drifted with the additional book (see below) Tall Tales for Shorter Days that released in November... yet as early as April 2013 I had set my sites on this year's coming design blogged here: Creepster Cast 2013.

Well, sadly much here is done during "hobby time" and this summer I fatally lapsed in a bad balance between a full-time job, a part-time job, and attempting to breathe... there wasn't much time to squeeze in the sadly neglected Bindlegrim. Though some unexpected time opened in August but it appears that was already too late!

The original plan was for pre-made candy container lanterns, in an old school style, that I could finally offer to more people at a set low price.  (No limiting editions, no auctions, etc). However, some printing follies these past 2 weeks have collapsed any forward motion... and my chosen vendor proved not to be agile nor capable of affordable printing on old-style products best mocked these days by kraft paper, cardboard, and/or chipboard. (By the way, printer recommendations are very welcome).

Should plans change and quickly, I will post them here: I have pondered a small batch hand-made run of the new designs, and maybe even a single edition of 2012 style lanterns with a new set of panes... but then it is also so very tempting to just sit back and enjoy the season...

If you missed the book Tall Tales for Shorter Days, which came out post-Halloween 2012, I encourage you to add it to this year's autumn reading list, as it is in fact very Halloween-ish. This is it's first official Halloween! The content includes The Pumpkin Dream poem (non illustrated), while the stories are half dark-and-creepy with the other half waxing with Halloween nostalgia. It's available in print and digital formats from Amazon, B&N, and even on Etsy.

Bindlegrim still looks forward to this Halloween, and can't wait to join the rest in the fun of the season. Let me know what you're up to this year!

The Grim Poetry of the Pumpkin

With October 31st just around the corner, I've re-styled (in a bright pumpkin-colored orange glow) a few snippets of spooky lines from the illustrated Halloween poem The Pumpkin Dream offering a sampling of the poetic content and tone.

While the overall poem expresses a variety of points of view (from fun-loving to dark), the poem selection here is more from the view of a wary narrator and the warning lines from grandpa... (and one reader told me they appreciated the lesson that grandpa is trying to teach). So, well, whatever interpreation you take from this tale of trick-or-treat, and to whichever point of view you prefer as the lesson, I hope you enjoy this excerpt, and perhaps as I do imagine these lines best read in the deeply rich voice of Vincent Price or Boris Karloff:

For further blog entries on the written content of the book also see blog entry: The Coincidence of Pumpkin Dream Symbolism or visit Halloween Alliance for an interview In the Pumpkin Patch with Mr. Bindlegrim.

Happy Halloween 2011...!!!