Halloween Party 2014 - Crafts, Jack O' Lanterns, and a few thoughts ...

When it comes to Halloween there's so much I could write about.  I'd love to talk about the origins of Halloween and how hypocritical it is that so many condemn it as something evil due to its pagan origins.  I remember one girl at my high school telling me that if I really knew how Halloween began I wouldn't celebrate it.  Well, as far as I know, Halloween was thought to be the easiest day for fairies and the souls of the dead to cross over into the mortal world.  And while it may seem a bit scary to think that trick-or-treating came from the practice of bribing the otherworldly beings with food so they would not harm the living, I think it's worth noting that departed loved ones were thought to revisit their homes.  A quick Wikipedia search reveals that people would set a place at their dinner tables to welcome family members who had died.  Keeping in mind that these are the customs of a people from a very different time, place, culture, and lifestyle, I would think October 31st was a day that reminded people to show their ancestors the respect they deserve, but also a day that comforted the grieving, making them feel as if their loved ones were not far away, and ultimately reminding them to appreciate their loved ones who were still living.

I could go on and dissect individual statements people have made denouncing Halloween, or examine the very false claim made by my cabdriver just yesterday that Halloween is only celebrated in North America.  I could launch into a critique of Halloween-related movies, or comment on why my city's newspaper always runs an article around this time of year about the Halloween "slut rule" discussed in the 2004 film Mean Girls - but I won't.  As I've said previously, Halloween for me is about creativity, so this very late post will be about my projects from last Halloween:

The following are some Halloween Rose Magnets I made using 2-sided scrapbooking paper, orange and black ribbon, refrigerator magnets, and hot glue. 

 
To make the roses I followed instructions found on Pinterest.  I hot glued them in place, glued 2 strips of ribbon onto each magnet, and then hot-glued each rose onto a magnet.  I only managed to make 6 roses, and some of them I gave out with candy to trick-or-treaters.  

I also made an assortment of Halloween Bookmarks to give out with candy to trick-or-treaters.
 

 

Again, I used Halloween scrapbooking paper as well as some patterned orange scrapbooking paper and black cardstock.  I used assorted ribbon, craft border scissors, a glue stick, and a pumpkin stamp.

 

 



The last of my projects for the year was my Harvest Witch Jack O' Lantern, whose witch hat I constructed out of potpourri and hot glue. 

 







I also used some potpourri pieces for the eyes and tongue.  The following are some pictures of the pumpkin in various stages.

 

As you can probably see, I hammered tiny nails into the pumpkin and then glued some potpourri pieces onto the nails.

It wasn't the safest or most secure method of attaching parts to the pumpkin, but I've discovered in the past that hot-gluing directly onto the pumpkin does not work well.

   



 

When undertaking any project it always helps to have moral support and mine came from my constant helper - although I suspect this photo captures her attempt to take credit for my work.

 

It's kind of hard to stay made at her though ...

Happy Halloween!

 

Halloween Party October 25, 2014 - Hosted By A Fanciful Twist

Hi everyone ... it's certainly been a while!  Now that I finally have a new and functioning computer of my own I am hoping to blog more often.  In fact it's a goal of mine - I find it so disappointing when I come across what looks like an interesting blog only to discover its most recent addition was more than a year ago.  I still have projects to show, experiences to tell, movies and TV shows to analyze, thoughts and opinions to discuss, political and world-views to push on people (just kidding) and socks to enjoy so I would to keep my blog from looking abandoned to potential readers.

Having said that, I am hoping to join in the upcoming Halloween Blog Party on Saturday, October 25, 2014 hosted by A Fanciful Twist as I love Halloween!  As far as I'm concerned Halloween is the most creative holiday that I know of.  Not only can you bake festive desserts and decorate your home inside and out as you would for Christmas, but you can carve Jack O' Lanterns, make masks, sew costumes, experiment with strange hairstyles, and try new makeup and cosmetics like false eye-lashes and fake tattoos.

While I'm rather late joining in, I really hope I can be a part of it, and I can't wait to see what other participants will post.  See you then!

Halloween Songs!

For today’s Halloween post, I am posting what I think are great Halloween songs. If anyone is considering making a Halloween-themed mixed CD to play at parties, or simply to put them in the Halloween spirit, I think these songs are for you! If for some reason the music videos that I have added from YouTube will not play, please do a YouTube search yourself and listen to these songs.

I will start with a great song by a friend of mine who covered a song originally by Smoosh. This is "The Quack" by Invisible People:



It would be impossible to make a list of great Halloween songs without including something from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. There are probably many other great songs to choose from the 1975 film starring Tim Curry and Susan Sarandon, such as "The Rocky Horror Theme", and "Over At The Frankenstein Place". But for now I am simply including "Sweet Transvestite": Enjoy!



I love this song by The Guess Who whether it's Halloween or not. The lyrics to "Shakin' All Over" are somewhat ambiguous - they can be about the fear of love but coupled with the music they imply to me of fear of something much spookier!


I love "Little Red Riding Hood" by Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs! There's something sinister about this song that makes it perfect for Halloween. I think the popularity of werewolf costumes and Little Red Riding Hood Costumes make this song very appropriate!



This song was recommended to me by my brother Geoffrey, who informed me that it was featured in the 1978 film Halloween starring Jamie Lee Curtis.  This is Blue Oyster Cult with "(Don't Fear) The Reaper:"


Fans of HBO's True Blood will certainly recognize "Bad Things" by Jace Everrett. This song is used as the theme for the show and plays during the graphic opening credit sequence.  If you ask me and my mother, the singer actually sounds like Bill Compton, the vampire who dates Sookie Stackhouse!

 

This is another song introduced to me by my brother Geoffrey, who informed me that most songs by this group are appropriate for Halloween! The one featured by The Cramps here is called "I Was A Teenage Werewolf:"
 

The next song comes from first album, Static Age, by The Misfits. "Teenagers From Mars" is a great Halloween song because its lyrics are dark and the subject matter is that of extra terrestrials - teenaged extra terrestrials! It combines science fiction with young people, and much of Halloween celebration is geared towards minors!




And finally, we have the 1978 song "Werewolves of London" by Warren Zevon.  What I find interresting about this song is the catchy, upbeat melody coupled with both goofy and graphic lyrics!  It reminds me of the sadistic humour of many horrific villains.

  


Of course, there are always the classics ... "The Monster Mash" by Bobby "Boris" Picket and the Cryptkickers from 1962, Michael Jackson's "Thriller" from 1983, and Ray Parker Jr.'s "Ghostbusters" from the 1984 film.  You might also want to include "Haunted House" from 1963 by Jumpin' Gene Simmons, "Purple People Eater" from 1958 by Sheb Woolley, and even "Love Potion #Nine" from 1953 by The Clovers.  I would also include "Do The Hippogriff" by The Weird Sisters from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and "The Jitterbug" from a deleted scene in The Wizard of Oz, performed by Judy Garland.

Use your imagination, and have a wicked Halloween!

Halloween 2011 Blog Party Hosted By Frosted Petunias

I'm just writing a quick post to say that I am planning on participating in Frosted Petunias' Halloween blog party, entitled "A Witches Tea Party Under The Halloween Moon" which takes place on October 29th and 30th.

 You can reach the party's website by clicking on the icon to the right of my page, or by clicking on the following link:

http://halloweenmoontea.blogspot.com/

Halloween Jack O' Lanterns from 2010

My internet was down for a few days so I was unable to continue my Halloween themed blog posts.  Nevertheless, I will continue today by posting photos of my Jack O’ Lanterns from last Halloween.  I hope you like them, and I hope you will feel free to leave any comments, suggestions for future Jack O’ Lanterns I could carve, links to websites with great pumpkin-carving ideas, and even links to photos of your own work.  Enjoy!

Mad Scientist Performing Unwanted Brain-Surgery

I got the idea for this when browsing the toy section of Dollarama.  There I came across 2 sets of doctor kits entitled “My Family Doctor,” which contained plastic stethoscopes, syringes, microscopes, medicine bottles, and even toy surgical tools.  Since both contained slightly different items, I bought both.

To create the Mad Scientist, I carved 2 small holes beside each eye so that the round eye-glasses could be attached.  It seemed appropriate to use the round eye-glasses, as every mad scientist I could picture seemed to wear round eye-glasses.  Dr. Finkelstein from A Nightmare Before Christmas is a perfect example.

I attached a small gourd for the nose and 2 larger gourds for the arms using metal skewers, and to attach the syringe and scalpel I used clear Scotch Tape.

To make the syringe look more authentic, I took it apart and inserted a metal skewer through the hole to use as a needle.  I secured the skewer in the tube or barrel using the clear Scotch Tape and replaced the blue plastic pump.

For the Brain-Surgery Victim I simply cut a hole in the top of a small pie pumpkin so that if compared to a head, it would look like the top part of the skull was removed.  Using a black Sharpie marker, I drew a frightened expression which included a quivering, screaming mouth.  I then filled the hole with the seeds and strands or “brains” from my other pumpkins.

Cinderella’s Pumpkin Carriage

After designing and carving this Cinderella-inspired coach, I enhanced the design by outlining the holes with a black Sharpie marker and adding green Glitter-Glue for a more magical effect.

I included 5 miniature pumpkins in the design – 4 for the 4 wheels, and one which I cut in half to use as a seat for the driver and a platform for the footman.  Attaching those 2 halves was very difficult, and in the process I tried a combination of toothpicks, Popsicle sticks, and a hot glue gun.

For the wheels I drew a design with a black Sharpie marker on the tops of 2 miniature pumpkins and used them for the wheels on the back (left) side.  Similarly, I drew an alternate design on the bottoms or the remaining 2 miniature pumpkins and used them for the front (right) side wheels.  On these, I also added a dab of the green Glitter Glue to what would be the axils of the wheels.  I connected the wheels using green Pipe Cleaners which I twisted and coiled to give the appearance of vines.

I found an artificial green vine that I attached to the stem using a hot glue gun, and also attached some artificial orange-glitter maple leaves.  I thought the orange-glitter leaves alluded to the fairy dust that accompanies any spell, such as the spell a fairy-godmother might cast on a pumpkin to turn it into a temporary vehicle for a deserving scullery maid.

I was very happy with both pumpkins, and I got a lot of compliments on both.  As I expected, girls were more impressed with Cinderella's Pumpkin Carriage while boys were more impressed with the Mad Scientist Performing An Unwanted Brain Surgery.  Though both took a lot of work I was glad that everyone could appreciate at least one of my projects.

Halloween Skull Wreath

This is another one of last year’s Halloween craft projects.  I made this skull wreath using a “Floral Craft Ring” from Michaels.  A wreath form would probably work just as well, as would a  home-made cardboard ring. 

Using a Hot Glue Gun, I attached several assorted plastic skulls which I had collected the year before.  I chose to buy many of them after Halloween because the prices were marked down, and I tried to buy them from various stores to so that some could look slightly different than others in shape, size, and colouring.  For example, you can see that the 2 examples of plastic skulls below are not identical:

I would suggest looking for them at Michaels, Wal Mart, Shoppers Drug Mart Dollarama, and other dollar stores.

Before gluing anything, I attached a think black string through one of the holes in the Craft Ring and tied it firmly so that it can be used to hang the wreath on a hook.  After doing this, I glued 3 large foam skulls from Michaels around the stringed hole, covering the surface and the string.  I then began gluing the rest of the smaller skulls around the ring, making sure to cover the surface of the ring, and using the various kinds throughout.  I attached them at different angles, and sometimes would glue one on top of the others – this was useful for covering any areas where the frame was still showing.

It is not neccessary for the wreath to be symetrical ... just have fun with it!

Halloween Pumpkin-Decorating Project

I’ve been working on some Halloween crafts pretty early this year, so I wanted to start blogging about Halloween crafts and decorating ideas.  To start with, I am posting photos of 3 miniature pumpkins I decorated last year with black pens and Sharpies.

I liked this project a lot because:

-  there was no mess and therefore no clean-up required

-  since the pumpkins were drawn on and not carved, they lasted much longer than a traditional carved Jack-O’-Lantern, which would begin to rot after only a few days.

-  due to their durability it was not necessary to finish the project quickly, which meant that I could  work on a single pumpkin a little bit every day

-  the small pumpkins were very light, took up very little room and did not require a large working space, making it easy to complete this project in front of the television

 -  the completed project worked really well as an indoor Halloween decoration either grouped together or placed individually next to other decorations such as potion bottles

-  they could also be used as seasonal centrepieces for dinner tables during the season

Instructions

-  For the 3 pumpkins shown here, I drew on the pumpkins with a pencil very lightly, as I found it difficult to erase any mistakes if the pencil was too dark.  When happy with the design, I traced over it in black marker. 

-  For 2 pumpkins, I drew elaborate vines, which I thought was appropriate given that pumpkins grow on vines.

-  To draw the vine stencils can be used, but I found it much easier to copy the stencils or just improvise my own design rather than using stencils to trace a design on the pumpkin.  You can also use a pattern or design you already like as a guide and attempt to copy it.

-  On the last white pumpkin I drew a spider-web pattern, drawing the vertical lines inside the pumpkin’s natural grooves, and then gently drawing curved horizontal lines connecting them, each spaced further from the last.

Last but not least, I also drew on this Butternut Squash in the black marker, to make it look like a ghost.  This was extremely simple, as I simply drew 3 elongated, tear-like ovals. 

Further Suggestions

-  Instead of using just a black marker try using glitter-glue as a substitute, or create a design in black marker and embellish it with glitter-glue.

-  Instead of drawing on miniature pumpkins, try doing this with large pumpkins as a substitute for the traditional carved Jack-O’-Lantern.

-  Try drawing on something besides pumpkins, such as various squashes and gourds.

-  Try painting the small pumpkins different shades of orange, white, or even black!  You can even use several different colours on one pumpkin!