♥ scary stories to tell in the dark.

when i was younger, 

i was much braver than i am now.

i loved horror stories with a passion. 

r.l stine was my boy.

and reading passages from 

scary stories to tell in the dark

was one of my favorite past times.

source.

did you ever read them?

♥ dia de los muertos.

i'm not usually one for skulls and spiders,

but today, i am finding these spooky offerings from 

betsey johnson entirely appropriate.

 trick or treat.

'

♥ halloween nails.

this year i totally dropped the ball on halloween.

while i did make an effort to participate in such fallish activities

as apple picking, apple pie baking & haunted house visiting,

i forgot to decorate my apartment and i forgot to make any plans

for any sort of halloween costume. and i am sad about it!

the saving grace is that there is still time to paint my nails.

here are some great styles that i found on pinterest.

what are you going to be for halloween?

♥ and the winner is...

a BIG thank you to everyone who

participated in my shabby apple
gondola dress giveaway.

and without further ado,

the winner is # 16 andrea despot!

congratulations, andrea!!

♥ a page out of her book.

miranda july's new book, it chooses you, will be out on shelves

on november 15th- and in honor of that, the new yorker's blog,
the book bench has been publishing excerpts all week long. 

read them all here. you're welcome.

(spotted here)

♥ what i've learned is that life is too short and movies are too long.

for someone who took alot of film courses in college--

i do not really consider myself a movie buff. 

( just look at my previous guilty pleasure post.)

but, i do love these posters and would

gladly devote an entire wall to them-

if i had a blank wall left in my apartment.

♥ that's magic.

with halloween just around the corner,

i have found the very best excuse to watch my
favorite guilty pleasure rom-com,

 practical magic (1998).

 back in the day when i was just a college student,

i would spend my nights buried under mountains of homework, 

with this movie on in the background to keep me company. 

i don't know if it was the soundtrack, the generations of sisters,

the great love story, the spells, or nicole kidman & sandra bullock's

 equally envy-inspiring hair, but i just could not get enough 

of this feel-good film. and for some reason, i still can't. 

one of the best characters in the film was the glorious

old house that the owens witches lived in.

love it.

 

 

source. 

what are the terrible movies you can't help but love?

♥ "a black cat crossing your path signifies that the animal is going somewhere." ~ groucho marx

i am absolutely enamored with these pictures from the life archive

documenting the hollywood auditions for a film adaptation of 

edgar allen poe's dark tale (or should i say dark tail?), the black cat.

can you just imagine how purrrfectly lovely it might

have been to stand in that line all day amongst all of those

well dressed owners and hopeful kitty actors?

via lovelorn unicorn.

♥ where there is love, there is life.

28 years ago today, my parents tied the knot.

it was a tuesday night. (my dad's day off, to be exact.)

my mom was seven month's pregnant. (with me!)

and they were madly in love.

my dad's parents had no idea their son was getting married-

(they actually wouldn't find out until after my sister was born!)

my mom chose to wear a black polka dot dress with black nylons 

and ankle boots, and they had no honeymoon.

things were alot different back then.but one thing has remained the same:

their love for eachother and our family.

 i am so proud to be a chu.

♥ beautiful creatures.

audrey niffenegger is the author of one of my favorite books,

and on top of that, she is a damn good artist. 

much like her writing, her work is interesting yet disturbing,

gothic in tone and quietly beautiful in execution.

(it's also perfect for halloween!)

recently on the english muse, i saw that ms. niffenegger 

has been asked by publishing house, penguin classics to add her 

artistic sensibility to jane austen's persuasian & sense and sensibility.

i just love her illustrations. almost as much as i love her writing.

♥ "my little dog - a heartbeat at my feet." ~edith wharton.

this past weekend i went to my family's house for a birthday party and
could not help but notice how quiet it is when i walk through the front door.
for years and years, our late beagle, charleston chu, would sound
the welcome alarm as soon as you entered: wagging his tail,
jingling his collar, sniffing your legs and letting out a howl
of delight to let you know that he was glad to see you.
this blog, dogs inside, reminds me of his wonderful
spirit and just how much a dog helps
make a house
a home.