Make Your Own Halloween Hair Accessories

Because I love Halloween I start making festive hair accessories in the Spring. I usually make one for every little girl I know. I also donate some to the local school’s costume department. And occasionally I sell some on Etsy. There are so many different ways that you can dress up your hair for the holiday, but here are some of my favorites.

  1. Hair bows – I think hair bows look adorable in little girl’s hair. I found this video tutorial online and thought I’d share. You can mix and match your ribbons and accessories quite easily. I love using leftover ribbon scraps to make these.
  2. Halloween hair clips are a great little addition to any gift. I usually adorn all of my presents with little surprises like this. I love making ghosts and candy corn out of felt and then glueing them onto clips. If you would like more detailed instructions, please check out this video.
  3. Spider hair clips are a great costume addition if your child wants to be a spider for Halloween. Just take purple or black ribbon, curl the ends and then attach to the base of your spider’s body. These spiders also make for a great addition to any floral arrangement around your house.
Posted in Halloween Costumes, Halloween Costumes for Babies, Halloween makeup and accessories | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Ghastly Candy Creations

When you’re getting ready for Halloween, sometimes you want to come up with fresh new ways of surprising your trick or treaters, other times you just want to use what you have to make new decorations. Whatever reason, you’re looking for a new way to use those pounds and pounds of Halloween candy and boy have I got a treat for you!

Here are some of the most fun and exciting ways to show off your candy crafting skills.

  1. Candy skewers are a great way to put a quick dessert together for guests are your Halloween party. Just add a few gummy skulls, worms and eyeballs or witches hats to a bamboo skewer.
  2. Candy pie is a fun way to top a plain chocolate cream pie for a community celebration. If you’re going to a big barn party, the kids will love your pie the best. Topped with Butterfingers or M&Ms, it’s sure to be a hit.
  3. Candy bark can be made before or after Halloween so that your guests get delicious treats in every bit of chocolately goodness.
  4. A candy topiary is a great entryway decoration. Here, trick or treaters can take candy from the decoration itself, or just see it tantalizing through the doorway.
  5. A candy wreath is a great edible decoration that you can put up on your front door if you’re headed out with your children to treat or treat. Just make sure to put up a sign that visitors can take a piece out of it.
  6. A cake made entirely out of wrapped candy may seem like a dream to many children, but if you are looking for ways to surprise your party-goers, this is a fun way to do it. You can hold the bars together by using ribbons and even scotch tape to build it into the perfect three-tiered cake.
  7. Candy bouquets are excellent party decorations. They can act like table centerpieces for your Halloween dinner party and then be taken apart for dessert.

Whatever you decide to do with your candy this Halloween, remember to have fun with it.

Posted in General Halloween, Halloween Decor | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fun Foods for Festivities

Sometimes when I’m trying to get ideas for my big Halloween party I spend hours and hours pouring over websites, cookbooks and magazines, but rarely do I actually get my ideas put down in one place. This year, I’ve decided I want to brainstorm first.

Instead of worrying about where to find recipes, start by just brainstorming what you want to serve at your party. You know that you can type any idea into a google search box, so really, the sky’s the limit!

Are you hosting an outdoor barn party? Why not serve fried apple rings or baked pumpkin doughnuts? Spiderweb cupcakes or gummy blood fruit snacks?

Are you hosting an upscale dinner party? What about an eyeball lasagna or full rack of “human” ribs? Using fancy charcuterie, you can make a “meat head.” Or mummy wrapped sausage. Black martinis or orange infused vodka.

For dessert? Try candy corn cheesecake or cemetery dirt cups, or pumpkin cream cheese rolls. Salted caramel lava cakes, blood filled cookies and owl cake pops or a popcorn cake.

Feel free to even dress up store bought treats like soda-pop. Instead of Coke or Pepsi labels, use scary names like “Zombie Virus” or “Spider Venom.” Be sure to keep your guests guessing. Food surprises can be good.

Posted in General Halloween | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Frankenweenie

If you know anything about me, you know that I’ve watched every Halloween movie ever made. But few of these ghastly delights have captured my imagination like Tim Burton’s 1984 classic, Frankenweenie.

A spooky tale about a little boy aptly named Victor Frankenstein and his beloved pet, Sparky. The film is a 30 minute story about what happens when Sparky dies and Victor can’t let him go. The dog is revived after an elaborate scene filled with spooky machines and a stormy night. Victor’s neighbors are terrified and chase Sparky away leading up to the climactic death and reviving of Sparky.

I can’t bear to get rid of my VHS player because I wouldn’t be able to play my ancient VHS copy of Frankenweenie or Arsenic and Old Lace. It’s just not time to part with these things yet.

Anyway, yesterday I read that Tim Burton is remaking Frankenweenie into a feature length movie in black and white stop motion animation! I am so excited. Winona Ryder, Martin Short, Martin Landau and Catherine O’Hara are all participating in the film and I can’t think of a better Halloween gift than going to see this with all of my friends. Especially since it’s not a book or TV adaptation, it’s Burton doing Burton which is always the best.

Posted in General Halloween | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Dressing Man’s Best Friends

Do you love to dress up for Halloween? Do you love to dress up your kids? Do you love to dress up your boyfriend/spouse/family? Then you probably can get on board dressing up your pet. Last year, I decided to try to get my dog, a toy poodle to wear a costume, and I think I’ve learned a few things since then.

Here are some tips on what kinds of costumes make for safe pet costumes and some tricks to getting them to stay put.

  1. Cat in the Hat- Putting a red and white striped top hat on your cat may seem like a challenge, but if you make sure it has little slots for your feline friends ears to slip into, chances on the hat will last for at least an hour.
  2. Chia Pet – Take fake greens and sew them onto a velcro doggie blanket to make your pooch into a real live chia garden. If you don’t like to sew, hot glue the greens onto the blanket, just make sure it’s completely cool before you put it on Fido.
  3. Pirate Pooches- If you have a pit bull, you know how much they let you get away with.  This halloween you can get your dog in full costume with striped doggie pants, a red vest and a pirate hat complete with glued on parrot.
  4. Dinos for small animals – There are plenty of small dinosaur costumes for dogs or cats that are plush, light costumes that stay out of the dogs vision, and away from their legs. This particularly costume allows your dog to do what he or she normally does, just a little more adorably.
  5. A lion- Feline friends will appreciate being dressed in this larger than life lion headdress. Simply tuck the lion mane over your kitty’s ears and let loose. It may only last for a moment, but make sure you have your camera by your side.

When thinking of how to attach something to a pet costume I remember a few things. Mobility, sight, comfort and fur. You never want to block your pets ability to walk, jump or pee. If you cover up their eye sight, you will make them nervous. Don’t glue, velcro or tape anything onto your pets fur. That’s called animal cruelty. If your pet doesn’t seem happy having a costume on, take a quick picture and take it off. You don’t want to stress out your best friend.

Posted in Halloween Costumes | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Top 10 Halloween Movies

Every August I start playing my favorite scary movies in anticipation of Halloween. Some are classic Halloween stories, others are just plain ole’ horror films. But here is a list of what I would consider are some of the best of the best.

1.Arsenic and Old Lace starring Cary Grant. This little gem actually takes place on Halloween. A recently married couple returns to the home Grant grew up in to meet his only remaining family, two little old ladies who happen to be Grant’s aunts. They’re so sweet they can’t help poisoning people less fortunate them themselves. Hilarious and spooky. A treat for the whole family.

2.The Nightmare Before Christmas. Tim Burton’s classic is an absolute must. Whether you show it to your whole family or sneak off to be alone, you’ll be glad you watched it again.

3. Psycho. Alfred Hitchcock is the master of suspense. The shower scene is burned in American culture forever. Who could have known that Anthony Perkins would play a psychopath so well?

4. Evil Dead II is a humorously gruesome movie. Not a family film, but a definite Halloween classic. It’ll make you ask yourself, “Who’s laughing now?”

5. Cujo, the 1983 Stephen King horror flick about an evil dog with rabies is not for the canine timid. An amazing animal horror film that is still talked about.

6. The Omen. You’ll never forget little Damien’s face, or Gregory Peck’s performance. Such a classic evil child film. You could do a comparison of performances from Rosemary’s Baby, The Omen and We Need To Talk About Kevin. Which kid creeps you out the most?

7. 28 Days Later. If you love zombie movies than this is a penultimate film for you. It helped spawn a resurgence in zombie culture that hasn’t slowed down. If you want a lighter version of this film, watch Shaun of the Dead.

8. The Sixth Sense – You probably already know the famous twist in this movie, but on the off chance you haven’t seen it I’m not going to tell you. It’s such a compelling story all on its own.

9. Hellraiser has some of the scariest looking villains you’ll see in any horror film. The image of a man with needles all over his face will forever be etched into my memory, but that doesn’t mean I can look away.

10. Pet Semetery. It’s a great film to watch, but it will scare young children. I just love this story. Of course, if you want to follow this up with Poltergeist you might have the best scary combination from the 80s.

Emma Rae Curtis writes and researches everything Halloween from costumes, party ideas, baby costumes, makeup, accessories and everything else under the full Halloween moon

Posted in Halloween Costumes For Women | Leave a comment

Halloween In France

It looks like France has only recently adopted Halloween into their culture. It became popular in the early 90s when an American restaurant started throwing Halloween parities. Still, it’s hard to believe that with all of the Celts living around the U.K. that the change of seasons did not effect everyone and make them want to celebrate.

Halloween in France is celebrated mostly by young people going to costume parties, clubs or bars. Being French, they like the scarier aspects of Halloween than American families. They dress up like Vampires, witches, ghosts and ghouls, not princesses or cowboys or fictional characters. Adults rarely participate. This is mostly for the kids, teens and young adults.

Nowadays kids go trick or treating from house to house and stores actually dress up their windows. It’s hard for me to imagine France without Halloween. They like so many macabre things, why wouldn’t they love Halloween?

There seems to be a clash between the young and the old. Older generations still celebrate All Saints Day by spending several days cleaning up graves and going to church services while the young are out partying. Why can’t we all just get along? Sometimes I wish that my generation would remember to lighten up and just live a little. Halloween can be fun without be disrespectful.

 

Posted in General Halloween | Leave a comment

The Jilted Bride

here comes the bride?

One of my favorite costumes is the jilted bride. I love it so much because it’s such a creative way to recycle old wedding dresses from thrift stores while also showing off your flair. Besides, why should you only wear a fancy white gown once? Here are my tips on how to make the best jilted bride ever:

1. Find a old white gown/dress that fits comfortably. If you’re a seamstress, any old dress will do. Tear the hem, rip the sleeves, wrinkle it up. Make it look well worn and then some. Do the same with a matching veil.

2. Use about 6-8 tea bags, black teas are best. Fill a large sink or bucket with water and then soak the dress and veil for at least 30 minutes or until they take on a yellowish hue. Drain the sink and squeeze the excess water out of the dress and veil, hang dry.

3. At this point you have several options, you can decide to be a zombie bride, or the most famous jilted bride, Miss Havisham from Charles Dicken’s immortal Great Expectations. Also a Runaway bride, or the Corpse Bride. Depending on what you choose to be you may or may not add dirt, blood or makeup to the dress itself. If you do decide to add blood, dusting talcum powder over the fake blood can make it look aged. You can also attach plastic insects or spiders using hot glue or a needle and thread. If you want the stains to look realistic, rub the gown in the grass outside to get some grass and dirt stains.

4. Finishing touches include wearing a grey wig, grey or white makeup, maybe some blue streaks to your hair. Blood red lipstick or pale pink. Depending on how formal you want to be. Add powder to your wig to make it look dusty and old.
Other fun variations with this costume include making the jilted bride into a falling bride. You could wire up the gown and veil to look as though you were falling from a very tall building or bridge. Make sure to have layered petticoats that are in various states of disarray to complete the look. You can also carry a bouquet or wear a crown as optional accessories.

Emma Rae Curtis writes and researches everything Halloween. Costumes, party ideas, baby costumes and makeup

Posted in Halloween Costumes For Women | Leave a comment

Thank You Robert Burns You Are The…

The name for Halloween comes Scotland. Apparently, it’s a Scottish contraction derived from “All Hallow’s Eve.” The day before All Souls Day, which in Scotland is referred to All Hallowed Souls day.

In Scotland, instead of pumpkins, families hollow out potatoes or turnips and put a lit candle inside. They also make special cakes for the souls of the dead called soul cakes or dirge loaves. The cakes are traditionally made out of oat flour. Here’s a link to a recipe I found for soul cakes, they sound delicious.

Halloween was originally based on a sun festival called “Samhain” which was created by the Celts to mark the end of summer and harvest. Celebrantswould make a huge bonfire together and use torches to bring home the fire to burn through the dark winter days. The bonfires symbolized the sun and would chase away evil sprits.

In 1785 a Scottish poet named Robert Burns wrote a poem about Halloween that’s all about the supernatural. In the poem he talks about witches, celebrations and the traditional turnip lanterns.

Several websites suggest that trick or treating is new to Scottish children. Before children just dressed up as evil spirits on Halloween to protect them from the evil sprits that many believed to be wandering around on that night. Many times instead of treats they would be given something to help them ward off evil. Today, most people expect children arriving at a Halloween party to perform a party trick or song. What a great way to curb sugar overload!

Emma Rae Curtis writes and researches everything Halloween. Costumes, party ideas, baby costumes and makeup.
Posted in General Halloween | Leave a comment

Interview with author Lesley Bannantyne

Anyone who really knows about Halloween knows the name Lesley Bannantyne. Lesley is an author who has written a fascinating book titled Halloween Nation. Behind the Scenes of Americas Fright Night.

About Halloween Nation from her website:

So much that’s been written about Halloween has been about the holiday’s history or about how to decorate, cook, and costume for it (guilty, all counts), but there’s not been much about who makes Halloween, and why. I wanted to capture the voices of those who create our 21st-century Halloween and to get to the bottom of why it’s is so popular now, why it matters.

What actually does go on behind the scenes at prop shops and national Halloween conventions, at quiet commemorations of pagan Samhain, or the wickedly raucous Salem Witches’ Ball? What motivates someone to collect so many Halloween vintage curios that when he sells his collection he’s made enough money to finance a house? Or to dedicate a life to creating a spectacle that happens one night a year, or even to tattoo a jack-o’-lantern on a hip? How is it that this overly commercialized, religiously contentious, and politically fractious holiday unites us in a community based on fantasy and fear; and what draws us together on this one night when we open our doors to strangers?

For the past two years I’ve been talking to people for whom Halloween is no ordinary day: mask makers, costumers, giant pumpkin growers, radio talk show hosts, burlesque dancers, tattoo artists, metal musicians, haunted house designers, prop makers, glass pumpkin blowers, pumpkin beer brewers, professional carvers, Halloween artists, musicians and poets, home haunters, cyber haunters, web designers, parade organizers, marchers, zombie walkers, zombie authors…you get the idea. If you love Halloween, really love Halloween, this book is for you. Chances are pretty good it’s probably about you, too.

She has also written several other books including:

  1. Halloween: An American Holiday, An American History
  2. A Halloween Hot-To, Costumes, Parties, Decorations and Destinations
  3. A Halloween Reader, Poems, Stories, and Plays from Halloweens Past
  4. Witches’ Night Before Halloween

I’ve got a link to her site: iskullhalloween.com on my home page and urge readers to visit her site and buy her books.

I took a chance and asked if she’d be willing to do an interview with me about her book Halloween Nation. I was actually quite shocked when she said that she’d do it so I wrote up some questions and she responded.

When and why did you begin writing?

I still have my first story. I wrote it in crayon for my mom, and I know I was in first grade because my first grade teacher, Mrs. Detroya, sent it along to a publisher. I also have that first rejection letter. It’s a kind one, as gently written as a rejection letter can be from an editor to a six-year-old, and I love it because it takes the sting out of “no.” I began writing because I loved to read and wanted to create stories and places like those I was reading about. After college I got interested in many different sorts of writing: for theater, for advertising, for magazines and newspapers. Writing books was a natural step.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I was sitting in a room full of writers at a meeting at the Boston Globe. For the first time I though, right!!, I must be a writer, too.  I had never considered advertising, or at least the radio and tv spots I worked on, writing. But news features, interviews, and columns? Sure.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

There are many! Faulkner, Woolf, Wilde. I love Mary Roach, Stephen King, Jodi Picoult, Alice Hoffman. At a certain point in my life, Lewis Carroll for sure. When it comes down to it, even Nancy Drew was a huge influence.

What book are you reading now?

Three: The Night Circus (Erin Morgenstern), the Incredible Life of Henrietta Lacks (Rebecca Skloot, about the woman whose DNA cells went on to solve many medical problems), and Skippy Dies (Paul Murray), which writer friends tell me is one of the best novels they’re read in a while.

What are your current projects?

Right now I’m working on a children’s book about grandmothers who drum, and on a few essays that are Halloween-related.

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in Halloween Nation?

Of course! There are always bits and pieces I’d edit if I had the chance. Thank goodness I don’t–I think one of the most difficult parts of book-writing is knowing when to stop. You have to be able to recognize when it’s sliding backwards, rather than forward, and that requires a cold distance that’s hard to come by when you’re in the midst of something you love.

What was the hardest part of writing Halloween Nation?

Halloween Nation was a pleasure to write, mostly because all the people in it were wonderful to meet and get to know. If there was a hard part, it would have been the organization: how to arrange the material in a way that would make sense to readers. I ended up sorting things into iconic chapters, like ghosts, witches, pumpkins, etc., but if you could see the piles of notes and papers that I started with, you’d have a laugh.

What surprised you the most when writing Halloween Nation?

How impossible it was to reach Bette Midler. I tried so many times in so many ways, but could never do it. I know that she has an epic Halloween party every year and I wanted to talk with her about it, but it was not to be.

What is your favorite part of Halloween Nation?

Too hard to say – there are parts of every chapter that I would call favorites! It was so much fun to put myself through all those adventures –Witches’ Ball, Village parade, Rob Zombie concert, tattoo convention, HauntCon, to name a few–how could I say that romping around in an old inn looking for ghosts was more exciting than dancing the Time Warp at a zombie ball? For someone who loves Halloween, and I do, the book was pure fun start to finish.

Do you have any advice for other writers?
I can only speak to my own experience, but this is what I know: when people tell you to write about what you love, do it. A book takes a very long time, and if you’re not working on something that you’re not deeply interested in, you may not be able to finish it. For me, I know I need about 2,000 hours to write a book, research to final editing. That’s 20 hours a week for about two years. I can’t imagine writing about bicycle chains or salt for that amount of time. The second thing I know: distance. When I’m wrestling with a chapter or section and I’m twisting myself in circles, I have to put it down and stay away. Not just overnight, either. If you have the luxury, leave a manuscript for a month and then read it again. Then you’ll know what to do.

Thank you Lesley.

Emma Rae Curtis writes and researches everything Halloween. Costumes, party ideas, baby costumes and makeup.
Posted in Halloween Costumes For Women | 1 Comment