Inaugural Post

Welcome to Baker's Broom Closet. I'm Baker and I guess it's time that I joined the blog bandwagon. I've thought about creating a blog for some time, but couldn't decide what to write about. Yesterday, I got an email advertisement from one of my favorite Halloween stores and then an email from a friend asking for my sangria recipe and a lightbulb went off. Throwing parties - especially awesome Halloween parties - is something I know a little about, might interest others and could fill up the pages of a blog. And so . . . Baker's Broom Closet is born.

Each week or thereabouts, I will try to provide info on throwing great parties with a heavy emphasis on Halloween parties. I'll include recipes and decorating tips.

Why Halloween? My love for Halloween goes back to my childhood and the time and effort my mother put into my Halloween costumes and school Halloween parties.

It got off to a rough start. For my first Halloween in 197~, I dressed up as Raggedy Ann with a cheap storebought costume. If you grew up in the 1970's and 1980's - you know the type with the two tiny plastic holes that you're expected to breathe out of and the elastic band that goes around the back of your head to be snapped by evil little boys sitting next to you. I was miserable.

My mother vowed never again, and so the following year I had a "costume" of a long flowy gown, large curly wig (I was still lacking in the hair department), and floppy hat. I was Little Miss Muffett (there may have been a fake spider and bowl of porridge which I ditched for my bottle that I took everywhere even though it was empty). It was an improvement over the plastic mask, but still nothing to brag about.

The next year was the beginning of the extensive planning and fabulous costumes. Breaking out the skills learned in a high school home economics class and an old, super heavy Singer sewing machine, my mom went to the local Benjamin Franklin and bought a pattern and some material. She decided to do Raggedy Ann the right way. I had a cute little blue jumper, red and white striped socks and the piece de resistance - a handmade yarn wig. My mother spent hours on end cutting and hooking the yard to create that wig. Add some heavy rouge circles on my cheeks and eyelashes drawn on with mascara and voila - one adorable little Raggedy Ann! I won the costume contest at the local YMCA, got my picture in the paper and racked up some serious candy on the trick or treating trail.

For the next several years, I went through a series of elaborate costumes.

• Red Riding Hood - Complete with red satin cape, red satin skirt with matching suspenders, white top with lace cuffs, and of course my basket to take to grandma's house.


• Bride - I had a white satin dress with white organza overlay and lace appliques. My cotume was topped off with a "wedding ring" we found at a local yard sale. (I'll admit that I still have this ring nearly thirty years later. It doesn't fit, but is a nice memento.)


• My all time favorite - the Southern Belle - I wore a beautiful full blue satin dress with a lace butterfly applique and tiara. I'm not really sure why I wore a tiara other than I liked it and I already felt like a princess in that dress, but I did. Unfortunately, this costume came complete with a hoop skirt. I'm clumsy and a few of the neighbors flower pots didn't fair so well when I turned to leave after receiving my treats. (I heard about this for years afterwards. "Watch out for my pansies!")

I credit my love for Halloween parties and abundance of food at parties to this era as well. As a first time parent, my mother asked the school principal (who had been her principal when she was in school - oh the joys of small town life, but I digress) if it would be okay to bring cupcakes for my class's Halloween party. He said that that would be great so long as she brought enough cupcakes for "everyone." I'm sure he meant enough cupcakes for everyone in my class of 20 to 30 students. She understood this direction to be enough cupcakes for every child in the school. We stayed up until the wee hours of the night in our tiny little apartment making and decorating enough yellow cupcakes with orange icing and a black piped-on jack o'lantern face for the ENTIRE school -- all 200 or 300 students. The principal was a little shocked when she showed up and asked for help to bring all of the cupcakes in.

And thus my love of Halloween began . . .

Yes, Halloween is my Christmas of sorts. I can barely sleep the night before and wake up with glee, waiting on pins and needles for the costume parade. I drive around for weeks before looking at decorations and trying to one up my neighbors. At least I come by this love for the holiday honestly. I'm not a recent convert, but a life long 'weenie!

I hope you enjoy my blog and return often. Happy Haunting!