Moonshadow Madness at the Emporium

The EHAG Emporium is now open!
Original one-of-a-kind Halloween art is
available for purchase on a first come, first
served basis from the EHAG artist group.
Click HERE to see what all the fuss is about.

Monsieur Moonshadow
Mixed media 3D hanging theater.

Click HERE or on PHOTO to see additional
images and purchasing details.

Click here for ETSY listing.

sketchy bunnies

Last year at this time, I focused attention on the horrors of the visiting Easter Bunny.



Appearing spontaneously at parks and shopping malls across the continent.



Adopting the clever guise of fuzziness and warmth.



While terrorizing the unsuspecting.



Fortunately, I am not alone in my crusade to alert the populace to this harbinger of childhood trauma. Because Sketchy Bunnies has assembled an extensive collection of disturbing images. Guaranteed to deliver fear and a sense of unease along with those chocolate eggs.

Happy Easter.

March Madness

How happy am I to see March end....whew...

What a whirlwind month. One big blur from
beginning to end. Fortunately March will close
on a high note as another EHAG EMPORIUM
goes live on the 31st with an abundance of
one-of-kind Halloween art from EHAG.

A sneak peek for Wednesday's debut.

january's project

Today, March 25, I can proudly say that January's Halloween project is finished. Or at least 95% finished.



It needs just a little last-minute tweaking. The eyes and mouth need to be made slightly more opaque. Another layer of netting should take care of that. I'll probably have the branches emerge from a higher location on the trunk. My basement ceiling wouldn't permit it. And I'm still toying with the idea of extending the branches to have them terminate as hands. Though I likely won't. Overall, I'm pleased with the result. I've been trying to imagine it outside. At night. Illuminated from within. Without Star Wars posters behind it.



I ended up staying with the thin foam for the trunk. Although I thought at first it would be disastrous. I discovered, however, that adding a layer of cheesecloth dipped in glue mitigated the damaging effects of spray paint. Who knew?

It remains to be seen how well the tree withstands the wind and rain of October. But experience has taught me well and I have several cement blocks standing by to anchor the frame and provide stability. So far, it's been holding up well in my basement. Despite the best efforts of my assistant.




I was so pleased with the cheesecloth-on-foam effect for the trunk (thanks to Mike C. for pointing me in that direction) that I went ahead and made another one. Which means that I will have at least two trees come Halloween. One for either side of my porch steps. At this point, I am not sure whether I will attempt to realize my dream of creating several more to line the driveway.



For now, it's on to April/February's project.

Alice in Wonderland Costumes

The fabulous costumes an artistry of the new Alice in Wonderland movie combined with the classic images from story book history have sparked a huge interest in costumes from Wonderland. See Alice in Wonderland costume styles for kids and adults.

Easter Bunny Costumes for Easter 2010

Over 30 different cute bunny costumes to choose from for Easter 2010!

Make sure the Easter Bunny visits you this year, so visit EasterBunnyCostumes.com and order your Easter Bunny Costume online today.

Featured bunny costume:

PREMIUM RABBIT WHITE MASCOT COSTUME Includes: Parade head, fur jumpsuit, fur hand mitts, and fur shoes. Available in One Size. Regularly $429.95 On Sale for: $389.95.

Also available: biblical character costumes for kids and adults, perfect for church plays, passion plays and Easter reenactments.

The Costumes Designed for Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland. Costume sketch Alice red court dress.

Photo By Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Mia Wasikowska as Alice in Alice in Wonderland

Photo By Leah Gallo/ Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Anne Hathaway as the White Queen.

Photo By Mary Ellen Mark/Disney Enterprises, Inc

The costumes in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland were simply WONDERful! No other way to put it! What a match made in heaven: Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, Alice in Wonderland, and Disney Digital 3D!

Here's an article I found from Women's Wear Daily, interview with the amazingly talented and creative Colleen Atwood! http://www.wwd.com

When Colleen Atwood set out to design the costumes for Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland,” hitting theaters Friday [March 5, 2010], the last thing the Academy Award winner wanted to replicate was the cliché Alice-in-a-bag costumes that arrive on the shelves of drug stores every Halloween.

“I was running in the other direction from that,” declares Atwood, who ultimately rendered much of the film’s marquee cast virtually unrecognizable — turning Anne Hathaway into a frosty White Queen; Johnny Depp into a clown-faced Mad Hatter, and Helena Bonham Carter into a cartoonish Red Queen. To help with ideas, Atwood consulted a more authentic reference — the illustrations by John Tenniel and Lewis Carroll that accompanied early editions of Carroll’s 1865 classic.

Atwood can only take partial credit for the cast’s on-screen appearance, though. The costume designer relied on an extensive hair and makeup team that included head makeup artist Valli O’Reilly and hair department head Terry Baliel. What’s more, since Burton used a technique that combined live action with animation, Atwood was able to enhance her designs with the magic of movies. “I got to do all these new things I hadn’t done before,” says Atwood, who has worked with Burton on seven previous films including “Big Fish” and “Sweeney Todd.”

See the whole article and amazing photo slide shows of more Alice in Wonderland movie costumes.

Maksim Designing Erin Andrews' Dancing With the Stars Costumes

What will ESPN's Erin Andrews wear on Dancing With the Stars?

"Maks is designing all my costumes!" she told UsMagazine.com of her partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, at the grand opening of Drai's Hollywood Wednesday.

"Expect a lot of sexy stuff!" chimed in Chmerkovskiy.

Not that Andrews, 31, minds.

"I have no problem with the costumes because this is a professional dancer so they know what they are doing and I trust them. I don't look at it as wearing a short skirt or that you are wearing something skimpy," Andrews told Us. "It's what they do for a living. It's their profession so I think it's cool to be a part of it."

More DWTS on UsMagazine.com

the end is near

Putting the finishing touches on the Halloween tree this week.

survival

Okay. It has been a solid week of mild temperatures, often double digits, and warm sunshine. With no end in sight. The snow has melted. Perennials are beginning to push their way through the cold hard ground. It's all beginning to persuade me that spring might actually have arrived. Albeit early this year. Normally, I try to resist the deceptive lure of early spring warmth. I fight the urge to venture outside into the backyard for some garden planning and general clean-up. Lest my optimism triggers a devastating spring snowstorm. But day after day after day of beautiful weather has finally convinced me.

So yesterday, I opened up the backyard/deck/workshop for the season. A little raking. A little arrangement of deck chairs. A little analysis of winter's prop damage. Because, due to my unfortunate and well-documented lack of storage space, some props (those that aren't disassembled after Halloween) are forced to live outside all year. Stoically braving the elements. Withstanding the rain and wind and snow. Suffering silently through the long cold months.

And intrepid though they may be, there is a price to be paid. As I learned when I examined the graveyard fence. Last November, the fence was the prop chosen to winter outside. Too large for an indoor home, it was judged most capable of surviving the winter weather. Positioned carefully between the side of the house and the garbage container. And survive it did. But it didn't emerge completely unscathed. No, there was damage. Nothing particularly life-threatening, however. Broken slats. Twisted post caps. Chipped paint. All of which, I believe, just adds to its charm. Overall, it held up quite well. For a fence constructed from plastic venetian blind slats and leftover styrofoam bits. A good long stretch in the sun and a fresh coat of paint in the fall and it should be ready to face another Halloween.

Some props simply thrive on adversity.

a dollar store halloween

My Halloween costume box consists of an accumulation of masks, capes, and other assorted costume components that have been gathered over the years. Each year, many of them find new purpose as part of a prop. Or as part of a family member's costume. While others languish at the bottom of the box, patiently awaiting their turn in the spotlight. And each year, I sort through the collection with a critical eye, deciding what should stay and what should go. There have been numerous casualties over the years. The flashing devil horns. The foam wizard hat. The cheerful pumpkin costume my daughter wore when she was eight.

But regardless of the ruthlessness of my intentions, I can never seem to part with these masks. These valuable dollar-store acquisitions were among my earliest Halloween purchases. And with the exception of the skull, most haven't been given a home within my haunt in many a Halloween. Yet I find myself unable to let go. Unable to say good-bye. Even though I could replace them for a handful a Loonies.

Perhaps one year, my theme will be "A Dollar Store Halloween". And they will finally be given their chance to shine.

coffin bank memories

Somewhere. Sometime. Recently. On someone's blog. I saw an image that instantly transported me back to my childhood. Then when I tried to find it again for this post, I couldn't. So I finally settled for the above reasonable facsimile.

As a child, I could never resist the lure of cheap novelties. Especially cheap, creepy novelties. One of my favourites was my skeleton-hand bank. A small metal bank. Black and somewhat foreboding. In the shape of a coffin resting on its back. Similar to the bank in the photo. Although I'm certain mine had a metal lid rather than fabric. But no matter. The concept was identical.

Once activated, the cover slowly rose to reveal an eerie skeleton's hand inching its way out of the coffin to grab the coin that had been placed, conveniently, on the target, and pull it back. Back into the hidden depths of its eternal resting place. Never to be seen again. I loved that bank. I amassed a fortune with it. Or at least as many coins as I could persuade my parents and other assorted relatives to part with. I never tired of it. Coin after coin. Again and again. The hand emerged and then retreated. Emerged and retreated.

It's unlikely that my parents derived quite the same level of enjoyment from the skeleton bank as I did. Perhaps that's the reason it disappeared one day. Never to be seen again. Likely to the same location as my hand buzzer and my whoopee cushion.

A Little Irish Celebration --or-- Some Macabre St. Patty's Day Fun!

I'm not afraid to admit that I have a HUGE crush on Warwick Davis. I have since I was a child. LOVE. HIM.

So, here is what I think everyone everywhere should be doing today: watching the Leprechaun movies (featuring my dear Warwick) and making the Irish Club's Irish Stew, keeping a healthy portion of bone in -- and what creepy friends of mine aren't big fans of having skeletal remains in their stew?

Ingredients:

3/4 cup pear barley
3 pounds rib lamb chops not less than 1 inch thick, trimmed of any fat
5 medium onions, chopped, or 12 boiling onions
5 medium carrots, peeled and chopped, or 12 baby ones, peeled
3 large parsnips, peeled and chopped
1 1/4 cups chicken stock
1 1/4 cups veal stock
Salt and freshly milled black pepper
Leaves from a medium rosemary sprig, minced
3 sage leaves, minced
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
8 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced about 1/4 inch thick

Directions on NPR.org from Nigella Lawson.

-----

My recommendation? A genuine classic which blends horror, everyone's favorite mythological Irish creature, and SPACE:



Feel free to make your own Irish Cream and or grab a Guinness and play the Leprechaun drinking game. :)

ERIN GO BRAGH!

dark and spooky and Irish

While I will be observing the time-honoured tradition of drinking green beer on St. Patrick's Day, it likely won't be Guinness. First, because green food colouring would be barely noticeable in a pint of Guinness. Second, because my tastes do not lean toward darkness. At least not in the realm of beer. However, if these coasters were available at my local pub, I might have to change my mind.

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!

A Flurry of Activity

Now available in ETSY.

Converse with Nature

Spring has been whispering of Winter's end for weeks now
as I've been keeping a weather eye on the garden for signs
of its arrival. I am happy to state, with a fair amount of
certainty, (fingers crossed) that Spring has finally taken hold.
Time for me to brush off my dusty dungarees, fill the wheel
barrel with pointy tools, strap on my oh so stylish
straw hat and head outside to tend to a much neglected
garden... or what I commonly refer to as my happy place.

Art pieces will be scarce during the next few weeks as I
juggle life's transient diversions and work out the details
of an exciting new venture. In the mean time I will be
adding a few more small pieces in my ETSY shop
later this evening.

Sending warm wishes and promises of an early Spring!

exploded pumpkin

So on the warmest day of the year thus far, I opened my mailbox and there inside lay a copy of a favourite spring planting catalogue. Coincidence? I think not.

I was leafing through the catalogue, as you do. Deciding whether to order something. Thinking about what new plants I'd like to try this year. Even though I had promised myself that, having a small yard, I would first divide and re-arrange current plants before making any new purchases. But who was I kidding? Of course I'm going to buy something new. Probably several "somethings".

Anyway, I was leafing through the catalogue. Looking longingly at old favourites and new additions. When suddenly, my gaze fell upon the words, "Exploded Pumpkin". My first thought was that it doesn't look much like an exploded pumpkin. Not with all that pink inside. But perhaps the photograph doesn't do it justice. Perhaps I would need to see it in person. And then I began to reflect upon how stunning it would look in front of my black elderberry shrub. If only I could get that thing to thrive . . .

Finally, I arrived at the words, "Buy $50 worth and receive $25 off". Well. How can I ignore a deal like that? I think I hear an order form calling to me . . .

Edible Wedding Favor -- Tombstone cups

These little 'dirt' cups are freaking cute, but would be so much cuter if the spoons were printed with some tombstoney messaging (RIP or 'Til Death Do Us Part).

Or served with a tombstone shaped cookie. :)

Recipe over at Martha, but it's essentially little pudding cups with crushed chocolate cookies for a dirt effect.

Gummi worms could always be added for an extra creepy touch, or little edible skull/bone candies.

Iron Man 2 Trailer - So Exciting - May 7th Can't Come Fast Enough!

IronMan 2 Official Movie Trailer

One of the few trailers I have seen that is almost as exciting as watching a movie!
May 7th can't come soon enough! Very exciting movie!
And, of course, Iron Man won't just be making appearances in May - he will be quite a popular fellow in October! Iron Man will definitely be one of the most popular Halloween costumes for 2010.

it's a beautiful day

I woke up to yet another mild and sunny late winter day. It makes me wonder how long this warm spell can last. And whether I should risk triggering a snowstorm by doing some clean-up work in the garden.

But the weather wasn't the only happy occurrence this morning. I also discovered that I have had an award bestowed upon me. Courtesy of Moonwolf at Howling at the Moon. Blog awards always make my day.



But with great awards come great responsibility. As always, there are rules:

1. Thank the person who gave you this award.

Thank you Moonwolf. You've made my morning!

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

Hmmmm . . . okay. If you really want to know.

1. I once tried to fly by tying rhubarb leaves to my arms. And luckily lived to tell about it.
2. I have been known to eat sweetened condensed milk right out of the can. But only occasionally. Really.
3. I've tried, but cannot make myself like pumpkin seeds. They nauseate me.
4. I've tried, but cannot make myself like roller coasters. They nauseate me.
5. I'm a huge fan of golden age comics (1940's/50's). So simple and sincere.
6. I used to close my eyes during the opening of The Six Million Dollar Man because it disturbed me when it showed his skull x-ray.
7. I still close my eyes during horror movie previews. Especially the gory ones.

3. Pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic!

This part may be difficult. I follow many blogs. Last time I checked, I was approaching 100. But most of them are old favourites. Very few have been added recently. All are fantastic. So I'm going to risk the wrath of the blog-award gods and postpone this part until I begin following more blogs. Or perhaps indefinitely. We'll see.

Great Costume Deals at Annie's Costume Shop on Amazon

Looking for great costume deals? Check out Annie's Costume shop on Amazon: http://www.AnniesCostumes.net for the lowest prices on our costumes, same great service & the convenience of Amazon ordering!

the best laid plans . . .

It has been an incredible week so far. Weatherwise. Temperatures approaching double digits. Bright sunshine. Crisp breezes. The sense that spring is truly just around the corner. I've begun going for longer walks, enjoying the warmth and beauty of the mornings.

And then I remembered.

Didn't I make New Year's/Halloween resolutions back in January? Or rather, one New Year's/Halloween resolution? One resolution in the hope that it would be easy to achieve. One Halloween prop per month. Which would guarantee an impressive display come October. One per month, that's all. One in January. One in February. And on and on.

Here it is March. And I'm still working on January's prop. Which really shouldn't surprise me. New Year's resolutions have never been my forte. Even when connected to Halloween. Granted, there were setbacks and glitches and new discoveries along the way. And the tree is almost finished. It will certainly be complete before the month of March is. Probably.

But I feel compelled to at least begin my next project. Even though I am not entirely sure what it will be, it will at least allow me the illusion of adhering to a schedule. And I do have a starting point.

Sometime last winter, I did some experimenting with papier mache. Different materials, different thicknesses, different pastes. Just for fun. No real purpose in mind. I made several similar objects to compare techniques. Small masks. Jack-o-lantern masks. It was an interesting process, although I had no immediate use for them.

They found their way into a storage container. Until now, that is. When they will again see the light of day and hopefully find new meaning as February/April's prop. Or something.

The last time I posted was ...

Feb 23? That can't be right, can it?

*sigh*

Nothing is crazy wrong over here, I'm just busy. It's the 'lots to do at work' time of year, and there have been lots of changes and mishaps on the home front. I can't think of what's made me so busy, I only know I haven't been able to enjoy the internet for weeks now. :( Maybe months. It's hard to say for sure, because the days are turning into weeks and the weeks to months and all that rot.

I will return. With a vengeance. And lots of ideas and projects. Soon.

See Oscar Winning Costumes!

If you're in the neighborhood of the Kodak Theatre and can't get into the Oscars this weekend, try the next best thing. Drop by the Hollywood Museum one block away – it's located in the Max Factor Building at 1660 N. Highland Ave., where you can see costumes and artifacts from leading [Oscar movie] nominees like "The Hurt Locker," "The Blind Side," "Inglourious Basterds," "Julie & Julia," "The Young Victoria," "Bright Star," "(500) Days of Summer" and "Star Trek" mixed in with treasures from Oscars past, like "Gone With the Wind," "Ben-Hur," "Gladiator" and even the first film to win best picture, "Wings."

SEE MORE PHOTOS - CLICK HERE!

Photos by Robert Freeman (Hollywood Museum)

Celebrate the Luck of the Irish in Costume this St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day is a great time to dress up and have fun! Check out some of our featured costumes for the holiday!

St. Patrick's Day Costumes:

Lucky Charms Leprechaun Costume

Irish Maiden Deluxe and Deluxe Lamé Leprechaun Costume

Beer Keg Costume

Secret Wishes Lucky Charms Costume

Not up for a whole costume? How about an accessory: t-shirt, wigs, hats & more!

St. Patrick's Day Accessories:

When Irish Eyes are Smiling..It Means FREE BEER!!! T-Shirt

Shamrock Stovepipe Hat:

St. Patrick's Day Green Lime Twist Wig

Pot of Gold Handbag

Great party accessories are also available at AnniesCostumes.com:

Leprechaun Light-Up Bead Necklace

St. Patrick's Day Tattoos

St. Patrick's Day Beer Funnel

Irish & St. Patrick's Day Bead Necklace

St. Patrick's Day Shamrock Tights