The costume progress continues, and I’m getting really close to completion. In fact, I will probably be done with it today or tomorrow — leaving me plenty of time for the party prep. Here are some sneak preview pics!
God! I LOVE it when my blogrolls overlap! What am I talking about?? While I am an avid Halloweener (wait, that came out all wrong), I also love clothes and fashion. This afternoon, while reading my fashion blog feed, I landed on fashionista extraordinaire, Jessica Schroeder’s recent post about her Halloween costume and was totally blown away by her rendition of Frida Kahlo! Best of all: This costume is entirely comprised of items she already had in her wardrobe! How fabulous is that!?
If you’re remotely interested in fashion, I suggest you click on over to her blog. It’s one of my daily staples for fashion inspiration. :) Also, she’s going to be featuring more DIY costumes throughout the week, so stay tuned.
Images ©2009 Jessica Schroeder
I bought this shirt from the shirt Woot! a couple of weeks ago, and it finally came!!! I put it on today in the hopes of getting motivated. Let’s hope it works!!
Pardon the backwards image, the best place to take a self portrait is in the bathroom mirror. :) I kinda wish it looked more like the website picture, but hey, what do you want for 10 bucks!
My costume has sort of taken a back-burner to helping the hubby with his. As of today, I’m off the hook and can finally resume progress on mine. I finished the pieces that I was responsible for. Check it out:
I made this vest by deconstructing a large woman’s blazer from the Goodwill. Despite having the buttons on the wrong side (which Mike likes to point out), I think it looks pretty cool. The French cuff shirt, and the pin were also acquired at the Goodwill. I made the cravat, and hot glued a swatch of the same fabric to the hat.
You may think I’ve been living under a rock for admitting this, but until last night I had never seen “The Shining”. Mike and I have been been lining up a bunch of horror flicks on our Netflix queue leading up to Halloween. I really enjoyed the movie, and I’m glad that I finally agreed to watch it. Contrary to what you might believe, I don’t consider myself a true horror fan. With such a love for Halloween, you’d think I’d be all over that… Actually, let me rephrase that; now that I’ve had a chance to think about this a little, I do like horror movies. I’m just very selective about the ones I agree to watch and someone usually has to coerce me into watching them. You see, I don’t like getting TOO scared, so I avoid the ones that seem over-the-top. But I’ve seen the Exorcist, and that scared me out of my mind, so there goes that theory! Anyway, roll the clip:
I’m not going to go into a long interpretation of the movie, because, quite frankly, it’s already been done. But I will say that we sat around talking about it for quite a while after it was over — the sign of a good movie. I was definitely scared watching it; on more than one occasion I reached out a clammy hand to grab onto Mike. However it did not scare me nearly as much as the Exorcist! I’m looking forward to getting the next movie on the Netflix list, but I’ll save that for another day. ;)
I have never made an amigurumi doll, but with these cute patterns, I just might start! Too bad my list of to-dos is so long, or I’d tackle one of these before the BIG DAY. The patterns are FREE from Lion Brand; just click on the pictures below. You might have to sign up for an account, but it’s worth it for the vast library of free knit/crochet patterns they have to offer. Also, there are a bunch more Halloween related projects to be found.
So I’ve begun setting the stage for the party. Two weeks from today is the BIG DAY, and I still have so much to do! Where has the time gone!?? This week I’m focusing on costume and decorations — hopefully, leaving the last week for food and last minute details…
Here are some of the things I’ve put out so far. Some of this may change as I get more stuff out and rearrange, but you get the idea.
Here’s the outside of my house with the awesome window mural shining thru. I desperately need some spot lighting to illuminate the garden. You can’t even see my little props out there. Ah well! For me, it’s the inside that really counts. Some day I may venture into the realm of outdoor haunting.
Back again with another Etsy seller with a spooky twist. It’s Skeletal Dropkick! Cute, fun, and affordable ceramic wares in the shape of skulls and other monsters. What more could you want!?
While I was at Target picking up more Spookiwi Jones Soda, I saw another flavor that caught my eye: Buried Pomegranate. It too sports a cute illustrated can; this one featuring Dracula. This soda is tasty, but it’s a bit on the sweet side. While I probably wouldn’t drink it straight, in terms of versatility for drink mixing, I think it’s rather good.
Blood Sucker
1.5 oz Gin
.75 oz Triple Sec
1.5 oz Cranberry Juice
Dash Angostura Bitters
Jones Buried Pomegranate Soda
In a shaker filled with ice, combine gin, triple sec, cranberry juice and bitters. Shake vigorously. Strain into a lowball with a couple of fresh ice cubes. Top with Jones Buried Pomegranate. I have to say, this is my favorite of the two featured drinks today… The dash of bitters is essential. I could have had 2 or 3 of them. YUMMY!
Bloody Eye
1 oz Tequila
.75 oz Chambord (Raspberry Liqueur)
Fresh lime
Jones Buried Pomegranate Soda
In a shaker filled with ice, add tequila, Chambord and juice from a large lime wedge. Admittedly, I didn’t have fresh lime so I used a splash of lime juice concentrate (faux pas!*). Shake vigorously, and strain into a lowball with a couple of fresh ice cubes. Again, top with Jones Buried Pomegranante.
* You should always use fresh juice! “Never from a can, you f*cking savage” –– Johnny Johnny of Tiki Bar TV (Episode 8)
There’s a small roadside cemetery about a mile from my house that I’ve driven by a hundred times without stopping. But this afternoon seemed like the perfect time to pay the deceased a visit; I had some free time and the clouds were dramatic. It’s nothing compared to the enormous historical cemetery downtown, but it’s a little slice of local history. Meandering among the marble and granite, one can’t help but notice that the names on the headstones match many of the area street names. Here are some favorite shots of my outing.
My husband thinks it’s weird that I like cemeteries… Maybe it is a little strange, but I kind of like the sereneness of it all. I like coming up with stories based on the various headstones. Then I’ll spot a tiny stone that belongs to a child; sometimes with a little lamb perched on top. There seem to be so many of them in older cemeteries. Sometimes I wonder what made the living choose a particular design for someone’s memorial. It’s a fun little game I play. Perhaps my love for cemeteries is a little ironic considering I don’t intend to make one my “eternal resting place.” Nevertheless, I imagine the lingering spirits enjoy the company. :)
