Motha

So yesterday evening, I sat down and leisurely explored the pages of Martha's new Halloween magazine.  Ideally, I would have done this at home with my feet up, with autumn scented candles burning and with a mug of pumpkin spice latte in one hand.  But real life intervened.  So instead, I found myself at my daughter's softball game.  Where hordes of angry mosquitoes forced me off the bleachers and back to the safety of my car.  Fortunately, I had thought to bring Martha along for company.   I did have my feet up however.  Up on the passenger seat beside me.

But now back to Martha . . .

I was moderately pleased with my purchase. Even if the "Martha as Mothra" cover creeped me out a little. I have issues with moths' wings.  But that's another story.

This year's Halloween offering is not an entirely new one.

But it is mostly new.  And while not up to the level of  past years (which makes me wonder about staff changes amongst her minions) there are a few ideas that caught my eye . . .

. . . including the section on classic B-movie-inspired costumes.  Which I'm sure hasn't influenced my opinion of the magazine in the least.  My personal favourite is "The Vanishing Man".  Clearly a relative of "The Invisible Man", who must have been too busy for the photo shoot.

Yes, this year, Martha is all about classic images and B-movies.  And pistachio cupcakes.

I will most definitely be trying the pistachio cupcakes.

READY FOR HALLOWEEN DAY 5: I *do* Believe in the Graphics Fairy

Who, you may ask, is the Graphics Fairy?

The graphics fairy is a magical internet being who brings us easy, fast, printable projects that make us go squeee! Because, let's face it, these are at once eerie, fun, and elegant. Always vintage or vintage-inspired, these projects are printable magic.

Above are spooky fabric-printed designs displayed using embroidery hoops. Details on how to accomplish this can be found here.

Then there are the eyes. This project presupposes you already display photos or works of art with people/animals in them. If that is not the case, you could easily spend a few minutes re-fitting your frames with a few old-fashioned pictures you find on the internet -- then stick the eyes to them!

Here's looking at you, kid.

Lovely Ruffle Collars

This is such a lovely idea for a Halloween Bride: ruffly, lacey collars. From Mme. Chaos.

A pattern/.pdf is included; is that not the most generous thing you've heard all day?

This would be lovely in black or white, and simply stunning for a bride with an otherwise bare neck. So delightful!

Clowning Around

Corny Clown
I could almost hear him giggle as I panted
his belly.

Trying to get ahead...

...but running a bit behind. With best of
intentions one of these characters will be
up for grabs at the end of the month for
the EHAG Emporium blog sale.
Off to work I go!

be my halloween valentine

My first introduction to Halloween as a time for finding true love came through Robert Burns' poem. Since then, I've encountered countless postcards and images portraying the once romantic side of Halloween. Recently, however, I stumbled upon another form of this Halloween romance ritual. This one appears slightly more dangerous than tossing nuts into a fire or gazing into a mirror at midnight.




How many people went up in flames in their quest to find their one true love? How many?

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just one

"I'll just eat one. There'll be plenty left."

And so Mary began her journey down the slippery slope. There was no turning back.

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gate night

Back in the days when the words "Trick-or-Treat" struck terror into the hearts of law-abiding citizens, gate stealing was apparently quite a popular rural "trick". Hence the nickname, "Gate Night". It was a simpler time. A time to relax, change into your best suit (or short pants) and tie and head out under the full moon for some wild gate stealing revelry. It just doesn't get any better than that.

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Paper Roses

I had a little extra "aged paper" on my hands, toothpicks, glue, and time to kill; since I'm also on the hook for making myself some kind of flower+feather hair comb for the wedding (in lieu of a veil), paper roses seemed like a good fit:


Okay, well it started out lovely and antique-looking while the husband-to-be was close by and working on updating our filing system. Then he went to take a shower, and glitter exploded all over it while I was unsupervised. I don't know what happened! I was just putting my glue away in the new supply cabinet, when the spray adhesive and ultra-fine silver glitter jumped out all over me and the rose!

It was madness, I tell you: glitter EVERYWHERE.

• Making Crepe Paper Roses - I cut out my petals in heart shapes and followed Martha's step-by-step, using glue instead of floral tape and a toothpick rather than a wire
• A rose tutorial - I didn't do a thing from this one, but I think her version is lovely for a larger rose!
• More paper rose making - this is just neat because of all the old pictures of ladies making paper flowers. Very cool.
  

frankenstein conquers the radio

Lately, I've been devoting time to organizing my collection of old time radio programs. When I'm in an old time radio mood, I wander over to the Internet Archive and download anything that looks appealing. Sometimes it is. Other times, not so much. Once I've listened to a show, I'll pass judgement upon it and decide if it's worthy of a place in my permanent collection. Some are removed because of poor audio quality. Others because of general cheesiness of plot and dialogue. Others because the inclusion of racist and sexist stereotypes makes me want to hurl my MP3 player against a wall. But I digress. There are many radio programs that I truly love.

Often episodes are added to the archive individually or as complete series, but occasionally you discover that someone has taken the time to assemble and upload a collection of radio shows on a particular theme. Like Frankenstein's monster. Frankenstein Conquers the Radio is a small collection of old time radio programs featuring adaptations of, or homage to, the classic story. The quality of these programs varies. They range from episodes of Weird Circle and Favourite Story all the way to some un-named British radio comedy. The monster has been lurching across the airwaves since the invention of radio.

I first stumbled upon this collection last fall. It was interesting to listen to various adaptations of the Frankenstein story. But now I found my finger hovering over the Delete key. Then I hesitated. The centerpiece of this collection, and the one that stopped me from hitting the Delete button just yet, is a 13-part serial from the early 30's. It stars Australian radio actor George Edwards (who doesn't sound at all Australian here) and who, displaying an affinity for classic horror, went on to star in the (much better) radio version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde the following year. Sure the story is a little slow-moving. Yes, Baron Frankenstein's voice takes some getting used to. But it is atmospheric and it's a faithful adaptation of the original story. Reason enough to grant it a reprieve. Especially with Halloween and long dark nights quickly approaching.

good old-fashioned plastic

I'll admit it. As a child, my Halloween costumes of choice were the ones with the cheap plastic masks and flimsy suits. After all, why put thought and effort into creating a unique costume when one could be purchased that looked exactly like the character you were attempting to become. Exactly. Why you could even assume the identity of your favourite television character.


Like Steve Austin. Or perhaps his evil overweight twin brother.




You could become Morticia Addams. After an especially hard day.

Or maybe one of the Brady Bunch. It doesn't matter which one. Your choice.

Why not go a step further and disguise yourself as a real celebrity. Like Ali the Vulcan.

Or amaze your friends and neighbours with an uncanny likeness to a teen singing sensation.

I used to wonder why the those outfits always displayed the picture and the name of the costume's identity. Now I think I understand.

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Skull Happy Cocktail Apron

40's and 50's housewife fashion is tragically adorable. Sitting at home by myself this past weekend, yards of black and silver skull fabric hanging out in my craft box and no internet to speak of, I was compelled to sew a gothic cocktail apron.

What could be better than spooking-out such a nostalgically happy fashion statement? You just need 1/2 a yard to a full yard of excess fabric (depending how how big and how many pockets you want). Holiday prints are always for sale, even if they aren't always on-sale.

And cocktail aprons=super easy sewing projects. Great for beginners looking to make something neat!

I found my pattern over at pattern bee and adapted the lengths to suit my tastes, but if you don't like the style or despise pockets you could try out this step-by-step tutorial or go to eHow for an entire series of videos. I made the body and trim of my apron from plain black cotton I had lying about, and did the pockets in my silver-skull fabric.

I don't really remember the measurements other than that I cut the apron 26" wide and gathered the top under the waistband to about 20" -- I mostly just cut it to feel, laying it out and testing as I went. The borders/trim/waistband/ties are all about 1 1/2" wide. I cut my waistband and the ties long enough to tie in the back or wrap around and tie comfortably in the front.

Not very precise, I know.

Now I just need to make a vintage dress and tulle petticoat to wear with high heels around the kitchen while baking creepy cupcakes. ;)

Gilded Pumpkins

Country Living offers this simple idea for making elegant pumpkins which I can only assume look stunning in candlelight! Gilded Pumpkins, in silver and gold.

This technique of using multiple colors of foil and painting the pumpkins black first makes for a very nice vintage or antiqued look. Better yet, you can gild all kinds of gourds or items to set your Halloween table.

Always on the look-out for wedding decor, I am finding this very exciting. What else can I gild for my centerpieces?

More pictures of gilded pumpkins, for ideas.
More ideas from Country Living.

halloween in the comics: annoying children

Whenever I look at this cover, I'm reminded of a murder mystery I once read in which an obnoxious child is murdered at a Halloween party by having her head held under water while bobbing for apples. Be watchful, Tubby. I've never trusted Little Lulu.

But the title "Most Annoying Children in Halloween Comics" undoubtedly goes to the team of Sugar and Spike.

Sugar, despite her name, appears to be the ring-leader in these situations. Personally, I'm hoping that witch deals with them once and for all.

The Grand Comic Book Database

halloween in the comics: duckburg

We return to our celebration of Halloween in the comics with a visit to Duckburg.

You've got to admire Donald Duck.

He never loses his enthusiasm for Halloween. Regardless of the frequently nasty tricks perpetrated by those irritating nephews.

He is truly the unsung Halloween hero of Duckburg.

The Grand Comic Book Database

halloween in the comics: superheroes

Evil super-villains never take a holiday. Which means superheroes must be particularly vigilant. Especially at Halloween.

But once the villains have been defeated, there are opportunities for some good old-fashioned Halloween fun. Like that being enjoyed by the Bizarro Supermen.

I've never quite understood the appeal of the Bizarro world. Someone somewhere was scraping the bottom of the story idea barrel.

The Grand Comic Book Database

halloween in the comics

Another Free Comic Book Day is almost upon us. And since I love Golden and Silver Age comics almost as much as I love Halloween, it seems appropriate to mark the occasion with a gallery of Golden Age and Silver Age Halloween-themed comic book covers. And maybe just one or two from the Bronze Age.

In fact, an occasion like this deserves more than just one post. Why not a whole week of celebration?







Few characters in the Golden Age of Comics embraced Halloween with the exuberance of Bugs Bunny.

And who could ask for a more accommodating trick-or-treater? No more candy? No problem. Just drop a carrot in the treat bag. The Halloween poster boy for dentists everywhere.

The Grand Comic Book Database

1912 Dress

How nifty; a turn-of-the-last-century-ish dress.

Go take a look!

Happy Easter

Apparently anything can serve as a symbol of Easter if it's surrounded by enough white lilies.

the dark side of Easter: human-chicken hybrids

Few images are more disturbing than chickens with human hands.



Unless it's a chicken with human hands smoking a pipe.



Or a chicken with human hands serving up eggs to those chicks fortunate enough to have hatched first and wise enough not to ask too many questions.

Or perhaps a cross-dressing rooster with human hands and anger-management problems.

I appreciate your terror, little rabbit. I'd run too.

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