the horror of coleslaw

I was standing in line at the grocery store check-out and there it was. Perched between two similarly-sized booklets entitled Coca-Cola Recipes and Bacon Recipes. Its orange cover shining like a beacon. This recipe booklet is always among the first to appear on the shelves each Halloween season. Probably for good reason. If it had to compete with other Halloween magazines, few copies would be sold. But release it first, and desperate Halloween-deprived individuals, like myself, will purchase it.

I can't help it. Yes, the recipes are mediocre. Yes, the ideas are time-worn. Yes, the magazine is a multi-page advertisement for Pillsbury frozen-dough products. But show me a glossy orange cover with pumpkins and ghosts at this time of year and I'm hooked.

And this year, the Halloween: Food, Fun and Crafts booklet really seems to have outdone itself.

With clever and inspiring recipes like this selection from their Wicked Entrees and Sides.

That's right. Coleslaw. Ordinary coleslaw. Well, except for the addition of sunflower seeds. Clearly, those are intended to be the "wicked" part. No other spooky modifications are necessary. Apparently coleslaw is horrifying enough on its own.

Yet not nearly as horrifying as a quesadilla.

Cut to resemble a "wagon wheel". With a sour cream hub and dabs of salsa and guacamole as the "spokes". It's Halloween on a plate. I may never again look upon a wagon wheel without a shiver of fear.

And then, just as I was about to ask for my money back, just as I had given up all hope, I turned a page and encountered these.

And my faith was restored.

Yolkensteins. These creatures are the embodiment of Halloween food. Simple, yet brilliant. I love these little guys. It's almost enough to make me regret disliking hard-boiled eggs. But I'm thinking they would be equally adorable with bocconcini. And much more delicious.

Yes . . . Bocconcini - ensteins.

Skull Scarf

Dear Fiends, I wish I could tell you I made this. But alas, no! This fine scarf is one of several eerily wearable pieces made by Crafty Lady Abby.

I love her use of filet crochet to create these spooky, everyday, craveable accessories.

I'm copying the ever-loving fool out of this pattern (I asked first, I promise)! I will be sporting one of these, my friends. Hopefully by Halloween.

:)

Trick or Treat Bag

All stamps, papers, dies and supplies by Stampin' Up!  Shop now:  http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/kdstamps/

Tusken Raiders on parade

HalCon's entry into the Halifax Natal Day parade seemed the perfect opportunity to "road test" a Tusken Raider costume. And the perfect motivation for actually completing one or two of them. That being decided, the gluing and stitching continued until the night before the parade. Finally, the costumes were complete. Then those always helpful family members casually pointed out that the teeth had been completely overlooked. So early on parade day, makeshift styrofoam teeth were rapidly crafted and inserted and the Tusken Raiders departed for the parade. More elaborate dental work would be required prior to HalCon in October.

The fog had burned off and the sun had begun to intensify by 8:30 a.m. as the Tusken Raiders arrived at the parade's starting point. They soon began to question their ability to walk four kilometres in the heat. But the fellow participant in the classic Battlestar Galactica shirt pointed out that Tusken Raiders are desert people and thus should experience no difficulty under the blazing sun. Yes indeed. So the Tusken Raiders took their places among the 20-something Manga/Anime enthusiasts, the Warhammer Space Marine, and the Klingon. And after some brief conflict with Obi-Wan, they awaited the start of the parade.

Despite a few sadly misinformed spectators who referred to the Tusken Raiders as Jawas, their presence was well-received. Several young children looked fearful. One began to cry. Always an indicator of success. Unfortunately, the second Raider's survival was placed into doubt as he incorrectly held the Gaffi stick, insisted upon waving to spectators rather than threatening them, and referred to himself as the "nice" Tusken Raider. He may have to be dismissed from the tribe. He wasn't even quite sure what a Tusken Raider was until the day before the parade.

Happily, though, these hardy desert inhabitants were able to withstand the heat along the entire parade route. Thanks in part to the cooling breeze which enveloped them as they crossed the harbour bridge. A successful road test behind them, the Raiders retreated to the nearest pub for potato skins and chicken wings.

she weaved a web

of silver thread,

a doily for her date~

a little fly,

with big brown eyes

quickly approaching fate

ELENA VALERIOTE

Spidery gift cards available in my ETSY shop.

Click HERE for more details.

Gothic Arch Challenge - Owls

http://gothicarches.blogspot.com/

hello hideous kitty

A couple of Octobers ago, on a family trip to Salem, my children were given some money to spend as they pleased. There was no shortage of Halloween-themed merchandise in the stores. I believed they would have difficult choices ahead. My daughter, however, then around fifteen, made a purchase relatively quickly. Actually, very quickly. In the first store she entered. A purchase that she, and only she, was thrilled with.

It was the ugliest stuffed black cat I had ever seen. It wasn't plush. It wasn't posable. It wasn't well-crafted. It was simply a hard plastic cat form covered in a thin layer of cheap fur. I was appalled. I was then promptly reminded that I had said their money could be spent as they pleased. And I had said that.

So the hideous kitty returned home with us, riding in a place of prominence in the back seat of the car. Upon arrival at home, it suffered some damage to its tail when my faithful cat Lucky mistook it for an unwelcome intruder onto his territory. Unfortunately, it survived. Since then, it has remained in my daughter's room and mercifully, out of my sight.

Until now. After her most recent bedroom-cleaning, it appears that she has fallen out of love with hideous kitty. And so it has come to me. With instructions to "put it with the Halloween stuff".

I suppose I'll have to find a place for it. Somewhere. Or perhaps I can put it down next to Lucky. And let him finish the job he started.