The Garlic Tree celebrates Halloween

Today marks the start of November, and that means that yesterday evening the streets were swarming with all manner of queer beings. And my restaurant, The Garlic Tree, was no exception. As has become tradition every year, I have decked out my place for the occasion, with every corner given a Halloween twist. So let's take a look!

We'll start the tour where the magic happens - in the kitchen.

Kitchen section of The Garlic Tree

Generally my kitchen is largely unaffected when these big decorating projects some around, and that was the case again this time for a good while. But after the goals I felt there was scope to do some re-jigging. The Potion Vials and Spooky Brooms were the main motivation, with the Light Bar wallpapers and Purple flooring following. Swapping out my Plus Windows for Stormy Windows adds some dramatic effect, and the Modern Circle Art is there just because it fits the colour scheme and has a wacky feel to it.

I could probably have gone further with this area by utilising the Witch's Kitchen from the goals, but it would have been difficult to place it without disrupting the current arrangement of appliances. Perhaps I should have given it a go, but ultimately I'm happy enough with the finished product as is.

From the kitchen we move out into the foyer, where Captain Phoebe is hosting.

Foyer section of The Garlic Tree

On a digressing side note, I've just realised that in the above image the lamp post outside on the road is actually inside! I've never seen that before, and loading up my restaurant as we speak it's not the case now. It really is creepy in there!

Hopefully the décor adds to the creepiness, with the Headless Horseman standing guard over the entrance. A goal prize from 2012, there are few better goal items in my opinion. The Coffin Bookshelf is from last year, and substitutes for the ordinary Bookshelf nicely.

The cobwebs in its corners tie it in well with the floor tiles, which are the Spider Stone. These alone give a rickety outlook, and that is only heightened by the choice of the Old Saloon wallpaper. The dash of orange from the Web Window and Pumpkin Sconces link cleanly with the Horseman's pumpkin head, while the Umbrella Bin also has a touch of orange.

 The Garlic Tree celebrates...

 05/10/15 Autumn 2015
 08/09/15 Summer 2015

To round off this area the Witch's Hats stand is positioned next to the door and again works brilliantly as a replacement for some of the other less spooky hatstands. And I'm thrilled to at last find a use for the Spinning Wheel! It's near the start of the floor decorations tab in the market, and yet I'd never quite been able to fit it into a theme soundly, until now.

It's time to move on through to the main eating zone, but to do so we'll need to tiptoe past a mainstay of The Garlic Tree - the water feature. Usually there are two strips of Tranquil Waters, but for Halloween they've been cruelly filled in with some City Sidewalk. However I can safely say that the Flamingoes and Lotus Flowers are not endangered, even if they can't move!

After brushing those spider webs off your shoes, you will reach the main section.

Main section of The Garlic Tree

The design I've plumped for is pretty similar to the one I used last year. The general structure has been maintained, but with some sinister alterations applied. For example the Elegant flooring has been swapped out for Haunted Floorboards, and four copies of the Well of Spirits have taken the place of the Wooden Pillars. The tables, chairs and counters have all been displaced too, with the Haunted Tables, Spiderweb Chairs and Cocoon Counters all present. You're never far away from webs in my diner!

It's with a tinge of sadness that I observe that there's not a single item from this year's updates on show, a reflection perhaps of the lower quality this time round. The Vampire Waiter, Zombie Waiter and Spooky Piano are all from previous years, as are the Mummy Pumpkins I've used for corners in the dividers. And at the centre of the area is the Jack-o'-lanterns, a 2x2 sized decoration which is flanked by hedging. I still regret not buying the 4x4 Pumpkin Patch limited time offer from two years ago - it would have made a much stronger centrepiece!

Once you've had your feed in the main section, it's off to the graveyard for some peace and quite, right?!

Graveyard section of The Garlic Tree

I actually had a cemetery scene off my outdoor area last year, but it was a little bare. This time I've not only used the Tombstone Tables and Tombstone Chairs, but have also thrown in some Skeleton Lamps. I feel the light of these adds a bit of eeriness which would otherwise be missing. And by using a mixture of floor tiles (Stepping Stone, Astro Turf and Fall Leaves) there's less of an empty sense - the 6x6 space has been fully occupied.

And unlike in 2014, I had an opportunity to include a background via the wall. The Cemetery wallpaper was the natural choice, and by attaching a Moon Clock too, the space is again well exploited. The way the hands are positioned on the clock mean that if you screw your eyes up it looks like the moon is leering down with an angry scowl on its face!

It's cold out in the graveyard, so you're welcome to trot back in and have a warm brew in the laboratory.

Laboratory section of The Garlic Tree

The Lab Experiment has to be one of the great Halloween items through the years, and it was a goal prize! It is the focal point in this zone, along with the Mad Chemist, Lab Assistant and Lounge Lizard. I gave myself the challenge after my Autumn refurbishment of finding a way to include the Lounge Lizard in every layout, and so that run begins! He's being employed as the Chemist's test subject here, and is currently sampling the concoctions on display. His drowsy appearance may or may not be a consequence of the bright fluids!

There are Lab Counters and Dusted Counters on show too, against a backdrop of Crystal Wall. For some reason I really like this wallpaper but have struggled to find a suitable time and place to employ it. Here it should be viewed as scratchings on a dark wall, probably caused by previous test subjects climbing the wall in a bid to escape!

Some Zombie Attack windows add to the horror, while the Pink Goo Lamp ensures that the Chemist can see what he's working on. And he'll be working with Shovels, Jams and Jellies and items from the Christmas Cupboard. Hmm, not exactly panic inducing! The Shovels are actually my one and only Halloween purchase for gems. I quite like it and feel I'll definitely have further use for it in the future.

Sufficiently doped up on chemical mixes, perhaps you can now go and help Detective Phoebe solve a gruesome crime?

Crime scene section of The Garlic Tree

In my last guided tour this section was also a crime scene, but on that occasion it was a simple case of a dog stealing a fish - here there's something much more serious going down. Phoebe is standing alongside a Floor Safe which is ajar. Some of the cash within has leaked out on to the floor - hence the Dotted Tiles - while the culprit has made off with the rest.

They've left some Footprints though, and this leads us to a sight so despicable that it has been isolated with Caution Tape Dividers. There appears to be a pool of blood (Red Carpet) with smatterings around the outside (Rose Petals). It's a thrilling yet appalling scene. Hopefully Phoebe will solve the mystery before long...

 Halloween 2015

 28/10/15 Vampire update
 22/10/15 Box update
 20/10/15 Goals content report
 14/10/14 Goals
 14/10/15 Goals update
 07/10/15 Laboratory update

Before I move on, I have to point out the power of floor tiles. Without a variety of flooring options and a sprinkling of imagination this section and its plot just wouldn't be possible. It just shows how much can be achieved only with floor tiles. That all may sound like a huge parade of self-congratulation, but I must thank my neighbour Garden Party for dreaming up the Rose Petal element (probably the most brilliant element!) More of her unbelievable creativity tomorrow...

It's almost time to head outside, but first a quick glance at my Ancient Egyptian area.

Ancient Egyptian section of The Garlic Tree

I won't spend too long in here since this isn't a new theme. I needed something for this space that would not look completely out of place at Halloween, and bringing this stuff out of storage made some sense. There's a mystical and mysterious quality to Ancient Egypt, which makes it somewhat acceptable for Halloween decorating. I think.

Having got that out of the way, let's go and feel the breeze in the outdoor section.

Outdoor section of The Garlic Tree

I hadn't originally planned to do this, but I decided to keep my forest in place from Autumn. I discussed at the time how happy I was with the wild look, and I felt that this was still highly relevant for Halloween, thus it's prolonged stay.

Indeed the forest has now been extended beyond the outdoor zone's entrance point, with the Trick-or-Treaters at the end. Since it includes a tree, there's a really satisfying merging of the forest into the Trick-or-Treaters. And this is continued with the Haunted House too. I did exactly the same thing last year, and expect to do so every Halloween forever more! The Haunted House and Trick-or-Treaters combine beautifully and slickly - so much so that to the untrained eye they may appear to be one giant decoration.

Some Pumpkin Stools dotted around help complete the wild atmosphere, while a Spider Table adds a touch of terror to proceedings, not least because of its venomous red eyes. Of course the ghosts emanating from the Haunted House also prompt panic, and kudos to anyone who spotted the second chimney I've had installed which has a fire emerging from it. That's the work of a well positioned Tropical Torch!

 Want to visit The Garlic Tree?

 Invite the Storm8 ID 'lorettasapron' and visit the wall

One final thing to take note of is the gobsmacked expression on the face of the kid in the bear costume at the front of the Trick-or-Treaters. Why is he so stunned? It's just a hunch, but I suspect it may be because he's spotted two money laden people riding a Tandem Bike out of the area after they robbed a safe. How they got out is still uncertain, but I just wonder if that pool of blood is actually strawberry jam from the Mad Chemist's stores and under that pool is a tunnel which leads to the fresh air and nippy winds of the great outdoors...

That just about does it for this Halloween inspection. It's only after constructing this post that I realise the wealth of spooky content I have in storage from previous years. With Storm8 being unusually organised with their item removals when it comes to Halloween, I really feel for the scores of players who haven't experienced Restaurant Story before at this time of year, and therefore don't have access to any of the goodies I so freely show off. It must be difficult, and that makes it all the more infuriating that the gamemakers didn't bother with any form of re-release this year.

Anyway, if you enjoyed this tour of The Garlic Tree, you may wish to strap yourself in before you pour over what's coming next. Tomorrow I'll be proudly presenting a showcase of some of my finest neighbours' Halloween creations. These are folks who are all long term readers of this blog, and I can ensure you that they have some truly remarkable concepts on the go in their places for Halloween. Get set!