Frankenstein & Mummy

Pretty scary stuff, eh?  A gallon of milk cut in half and some fabric fur from JoAnn’s was the starting point for our Frankenstein costume.

We attached bolts, screws, and nuts on either side of the milk jug.  The jacket was an older boy’s suitcoat we got from Goodwill - we cut down the sleeves and bottom hem and pinned a large pair of shoulder pads inside.  Two coats of Benjamin Moore’s Agave AF-420 latex paint (!)  was the perfect shade of green for this little Frankenstein.  Don’t worry – it came right off with a little warm water and soap!

Cutest Little Frankenstein Ever!

Our mummy was wrapped in strips of muslin and cheesecloth.   I dipped paper towels in cold coffee, let them dry completely, then stuck pieces of it to her face with a paste of flour and corn syrup.  It was kinda nasty, but she certainly looked like the undead.  Or maybe a burn victim.

Scary Mummy

What were your costumes for Halloween this year?

My color scheme:   white, black, and red accents.  I started gathering things that went along with the theme.  I found vampire teeth in packs of 12 at Kroger’s and decided to use those for napkin rings.  I found a copy of Eclipse at a yard sale for $2.  I decided to tear out pages and scatter them across the dinner table.  I knew I needed lots of red apples.

I used small apples as placecard holders.  I typed up the names of the major characters in a font that looked like Edward’s handwriting called “be safe.”  Click here to get them.  After printing them out, I ran them through a small laminating machine I have (from Michael’s) and cut them out.  Laminating them keeps them from wicking up the moisture from the apples, which I cut slits in to hold the names.

I made sure to warn any unexpected victims, I mean guests, before they entered my home. 

This is how I set up my dining room.  Lots and lots of candles – both candlesticks and votive candles.  Lots of fake cobwebs and general halloween decor.  I didn’t have black cloth napkins, so I bought cheap black bandanas at Michaels and cut them in half.  I simply layered three off-white tablecloths – one plain, one damask, one antique crochet. 

I used silver goblets, which I left tarnished on the outside because I thought it looked spookier (I did polish the insides and the rims), and vintage dark blue water glasses.  I used simple white hobnail dinner plates.

I wanted to have each of the 4 book covers represented in some way.  I made a centerpiece by stacking cake stands and topping that with large red apples, tying in with the cover of Twilight.   The red cheesecloth runner on the table represents the red ribbon from the cover of Eclipse.

I always try to use whatever I already have, so this porcelain hand worked for representing the Twilight book cover holding the apple.  It is normally used to hold my rings and necklaces! 

I couldn’t find a parrot tulip like the one on the cover of New Moon, but I found a fake white peony at Michaels.  I handpainted the flower with red craft paint, using the book cover as a guide.  You can see it peeking out from behind some candles in this picture.

My daughter had a glass chess set, so I used it on the table to represent the cover of Breaking Dawn.

I wouldn’t want to leave out the wolves, so I made sure Jacob and friends were represented with this antique motorcycle and a few American Indian artifacts on the table.

 A lot of interesting characters showed up to my dinner party.   You might recognize a few of them.  Here’s the evil pairing of James and Victoria:

We had 2 Alices in attendance.  Both were truly darling pixy vampires.

Here are all the vampires chowing down – yes, I know real vampires don’t eat food! 

The food was to die for.  Below:  Lamb and Veggie Kebobs, Bella’s Mushroom Ravioli, and Artichoke Hearts and Fennel Salad.

 Dessert was a bloody mess!

White chocolate died with lots of red food die pumped through a chocolate fountain for dipping Lady Fingers and Shortbread Doggie Bones (for the wolves, of course).  Now that’s scary.

 
I am including the complete menu for Dinner with the Cullens for you.

I typed up some good quotes from the Twilight book series, laminated them, then scattered them on the dinner tablescape.

During dinner, we played a game where everyone guessed which character said what.  Click here for quotes to use at your Twilight party.

Things got a little dicey as the night progressed.  James went after a unsuspecting human that wandered into the party.

Background music is important in setting the tone for a Twilight Dinner Party.  I made a mix CD of Twilight and Twilight-inspired songs which played throughout the evening.  I made copies and gave all the girls one of their own.  Great make-out music!

Now, tell me the truth:  Are you Team Edward or Team Jacob? 

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A snip-snip here and a little rip there transforms this seemingly-harmless material into something spook-tacular!

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What a cool way to tablescape for a Halloween party!

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I like to drape cheesecloth over sconces and light fixtures, like this one in the entry of my home.  It creates a spooky glow among the black crows, spiders, and glitter skulls under glass.

What simple materials do you use to make your home spooky at Halloween?

 Martha Stewart

You can punch little holes with a drill bit to create an outline you like.  Cut a hole in the bottom of the pumpkin, rather than the top.  Stick a string of twinkle lights inside and poke the lights through the holes like a Lite-Brite.

 Country Living

Bigger drill bit and creepy critters.   Mouse motel!

 Martha Stewart

 
Have you ever seen a pumpkin tree before?  Be the first in your neighborhood to grow one!   Use those plastic pumpkins (Funkins) from a craft store - they are very light.   Hang a few lanterns and perch a few black crows.  Very spooky.

 Country Living

 
Forget all that carving.  Why not just adorn your pumpkins with masks and hats?  What a great idea!

Country Living

 Look at these beautiful gilded pumpkins.  Make your own sophisticated display using stickers and gold spray paint.

 Country Living

Squirt some spray mount on small pumpkins or gourds, then sprinkle with colored glitter.  Create a sweet display with silver candlestands or a cake pedestal.

 Martha Stewart

 If you have lots of pumpkins, why not spell out a spooky message?  Just have a few?  Spell “boo.”

 Country Living

 I love these gourd people!  You don’t even have to do the faces, just artfully stack some colorful gourds on your porch.

Martha Stewart

Look how GORGEOUS this is!  Just stick to one color in an assortment of shapes and sizes.  The spider pumpkins are just the right touch.  And that cool moss doesn’t hurt, either.

 Martha Stewart

How about using gourds or mini-pumpkins as placecards at your dinner party?  This could work now all the way to Thanksgiving.  Use a stencil or freehand  an initial with paint or a Sharpee pen.

 Country Living

 Hollow out a place for a votive candle.  Line your mantel with these or scatter across your tablescape.

Country Living

I saved the best for last.   These enchanted toadstools made of gourds are my favorite!  My daughters were a gnome and a toadstool last Halloween – click here if you want to see how hilariously cute their costumes were.

 Martha Stewart

I’m spending a bit of time here in Phoenix doing some great architectural tours – can’t wait to share that with you when I return home!

When I was in college, I lived down the road from an abandoned old house that used to be a teachers’ boarding house.  It was an elegant old structure that had been neglected for decades.  It was a modified Dutch Colonial style that reminded me of Amityville Horror. My friends and I snuck into that house on a handful of occasions, always in awe of the haunted nature of it and of the things that had been left behind.  Bookcases still held scattered school books and annuals covered with cobwebs.  Old clothes from the 1950′s still hung in some of the closets.  Stained old mattresses littered the floors.  Their was a large room with a fireplace that felt like a ballroom – mottled mirrors took up the expanse of one entire wall, cloudy with age.  When you walked into that room, the deteriorated carpet fibers rose like feathers and blew around your feet.  The stairs were so rotten, we were probably at risk of breaking our necks the one time we dared to climb up into the attic.  There we found boxes and boxes of old Life magazines and broken furniture.  And that creepy Amityville half-fan attic window.

No, the house wasn’t haunted.  But the memory of that house still inspires me around Halloween.   Now, I’m not littering my rooms with stained mattresses or anything.   It’s just an inspiration.  I don’t use just a few spiderwebs here and there.  Those bags of spiderwebs are cheap.  I use LOTS of spiderwebs and stretch them across pictures, photos, lamps, accessories, chandeliers.  Cheese cloth works great, too.  It’s a little more expensive, but it’s easier to use and looks dramatic.

I found this large, old picture of a woman playing piano 10 years ago at a yard sale at an old Victorian house.  It was $10.  I bought it immediately, but only to bring out and hang at Halloween.  Dark and creepy, I wouldn’t want to see it everyday.  But I switch out my mantel painting for one month of the year to creep up the place.

I also pull out anything lace I can find.  There’s something old-lady spooky about that.  And they remind me of spiderwebs.  I drape it on tables, chairs, sofas, whatever.

At this time of the year, I clear off anything colorful from my mantel and tabletops.  Then I start pulling out things around my house that are black, brown, or dark green.  And I try to look at things I have with a fresh eye – what COULD look spooky?  It’s all about context.  Something not so spooky the rest of the year looks very spooky when grouped appropriately and draped with cobwebs.  I’ve always thought these wedding dolls from my mother’s childhood were spooky – their eyes were lost a long ago.

Last year I bought some Martha Stewart paper mice and spider silhouettes.  You can make your own, but they are inexpensive and available at Michaels.   I stick them all around my haunted rooms.

The best time to buy for Halloween decor is the week after Halloween, when things start going on sale.  It can go to as much as 90% off.  And I keep an eye open throughout the year for sale and clearance items that could be spooky in the right context.  Like these black birds I found this summer for less than $2 on clearance at Target.  And the black glittery chandeliers are in Martha Stewart’s craft line at Michaels.

I like the idea of natural macabre.  Meaning things from nature that look creepy.  Black crows, owls, mice, spiders, snakes, worms, ants – you get the idea.  The kinds of things you imagine might show up if something is rotten or abandoned.  I don’t do monster stuff – I do have small children, afterall.   But I do have lots of bones and skulls.  That’s just nature.

Look around your house for books that lend to the look – based on color, title, or theme.

In a previous post, I’ve spoken about specimen jars and the whole spooky laboratory thing.  I’ve got several “dry” versions scattered about the house.  Below is a Southern Living Trifle Bowl filled with bones.  I’ve also got some chains under glass and some gray mice under a cheese dome.  I’ll probably try some “wet” versions this week.  If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you might want to check out my post on Halloween Specimen Jars.

This owl window cling is from Martha Stewart’s Halloween collection at Michaels.   The black wreath and feather tree is from Michaels, as well.

Use both taper and votive candles.  This year I used black, white, dark purple, green, and a few red.  Candelabras go from elegant to spooky pretty quickly.

Light a red candle and drip it over white candles to make bleeding candles.   Such an easy trick that draws lots of attention.  That porcelain hand you see usually holds my rings and necklaces in my bedroom.  It doesn’t normally look spooky at all.  Context is everything!

There’s nothing as dramatic as candlelight – and lots of it – in a spooky setting like this.

I hope you enjoyed the tour.  And I hope you have a frightfully wonderful Halloween!

Click on thumbnails below for more Halloween decorating details.

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This is “Earth.”  A little hair lacquer, green hair spray, and appropriately placed creepy-crawlies do the trick.

This Tulle Ghost could be for a child or an adult.  It’s made from yards of tulle gathered with seam binding at the neck.  Some silvery face make-up would be good, too.

I’m so in love with this little gnome.  There’s just something about garden gnomes . . .

This cute little cookie is made from foam board and silver poster board.  Pretty easy but really ingenious.

There’s nothing cuter than little girls dressed up as Little Old Ladies.  They look like they’re getting ready for a Bridge party.  Where’s the deviled eggs?

Great idea for family costumes – be Outer Space!

Don’t just be a Disney princess (pu-leese!).  Why not be a member of the Royal Family?

A fresh take on a Pumpkin Costume.

I don’t know if I like this so much because of the trio of cute Lambies, or if it’s because of that fabulous bed . . .

This Spider Baby is soooo cute!  Momma wears a white skirt  with black yarn pinned on to make a web.  Baby’s in a black shirt and pants and lots of stuffed socks from Daddy’s drawer.

Your kiddo will get some attention with Mice-Infested Hair.  You can buy small rubber rodents at Michaels.  Impale their underbellies with bobby pins and install them in their hair.  Nice.

Take an old princess dress-up dress and transform your little girl into Miss Universe.  Just make a banner and add plastic roses from Michaels.

Who wouldn’t love a stinky little Skunk Baby?  A couple of white feather boas go a long way.

Here’s an easy Scarecrow costume for your child – a flannel shirt, blue jean overalls, work gloves, hay, and a few black birds.

You or your daughter could be Medusa pretty easily.  Lots of fake snakes, a real or fake braid coiled around the head, and a white dress.  Oh, and blue eyeshadow!

Did you know you can adhere fake bugs to your skin with a little eyelash glue?  Well, now you do.

Ok, this one is not particularly easy – but this Turkey Baby is about the disturbingly hilarious thing I’ve seen in awhile!  Check out Martha Stewart to get the details if you decide to roast your baby this year for Halloween!

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I love how Andrea uses books with appropriately spooky titles and jacket covers.

Andrea has a way of telling a story, a spooky story, with the way she groups  ordinary and extraordinary accessories.  Notice the amber glass and architectural photos.  They only look spooky in the context of the objects that surround them.

I have this same owl.  Andrea uses these spooky birds with her cream pottery collection and lots of sticks and branches from her yard.

Here’s a huge scary spider crawling over Andrea’s vintage pottery collection.

I asked Andrea why she loves Halloween decorating so much.  She answers, “Halloween allows for the most creativity. It’s a very playful holiday. I can almost tell a story with the décor, set a scene. I like to think about my favorite scenes from horror literature and old ghost stories. Hearing a ghost story makes me feel like a kid at a slumber party!”

I asked Andrea about her use of common objects: “Limbs from the yard – the more gnarled and curly, the better. I find the best limbs under my pecan tree. Nice and splotchy. Very sculptural. And they are free!”

Even old garden statues creep up the scene in Andrea’s fireplace.

As you can tell, Andrea is partial to crows/ravens, black cats, and spooky spiders at Halloween.

Andrea says, “Cheesecloth is one of my favorite things – very inexpensive and connotes mummies.”

Last Halloween, Andrea hosted a delightfully spooky Halloween dinner for some friends.  We had a light dinner, then Death by Chocolate cake.  Look at the beautifully spooky set-up below!

According to Andrea, music is a must-have part of Halloween décor.  ”The soundtrack from The Omen has hauntingly beautiful music.  Lots of creepy carnival music!”

Andrea read aloud Edgar Allan Poe’s A Tell-Tale Heart.  Check out that cool floor candelabra in the background.  I really need one of those . . .

I asked Andrea how is she going to possibly top herself next Halloween.  “Next year, I want to do a Haunted Mardi Gras theme for Halloween.  I’ve got a few pretty masks…ooh la la.  I am crazy!” Crazy like a fox, Andrea.

“And, it’s okay to be a little tacky at Halloween! Am I right???”  Yes, Andrea, when it’s this well done, it is perfectly OK

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It’s October 1st, so you know what that means?  It means Halloween decorating!  With the days getting shorter and the temperature dropping, it just makes sense to start spooking the house up as I mourn the dying of Summer.

Over the last several years, my Halloween decorating has been inspired by two people:  Martha Stewart and Andrea Ferrell.   Both ladies enjoy Halloween decorating that leans towards the “natural macabre.”  Today I highlight Martha, I hope soon to highlight the lesser-known but equally fab Andrea Ferrell.

I’m so excited to try this bleeding candles trick!  Take some white candles, stick them in a bucket of sand, light a red candle, and let the wax drip down the white candles.  Genius.

What’s spookier than silhouettes of feared pests – like bats, rats, and spiders?  And check out the runny black border around the top of the walls – now that’s creepy.

I use tons of the spider-webs-in-a-bag stuff, but this year I bought some cheesecloth like this.  It’s easier than stretching the other to look realistic – you just drape it, maybe rip it a little, and add a few dried leaves like Martha does here.

You gotta think of how you can make the most normal of things a little spooky, like floral decor.  Pick flowers and fillers in black, brown, red, and drab green.  Add in some dark dried pieces and dark berries.  Then arrange it all in old, unpolished silver urns.

Another great effect from a paper silhouette – this time as a curtain!

I love this naturally macabre grouping of vintage silhouettes, a phrenology head, and dried cotscomb under cloches.  Looks like dried brains – how fun is that?!

Simply lovely to spray paint pumpkins in silver or gold.  Orange doesn’t go with my color palette, anyway!

Martha likes the glittered skulls, especially when piled beneath glass.  Believe me, I’m pulling out my cake stands and cloches for highlighting my Halloween decor this year!

What’s easier than grabbing a few dead branches from the yard to create a little Halloween tree?  This one is spray-painted black but natural is good, too.

Black crepe streamers make spooky curtains in your haunted house.

Who thinks like this?  I love it!  So now we’re dying Halloween eggs a mottled brown and using them in this “rotten eggs and worms” vignette.  The worms are old fishing lures.

I love using what you already have and creeping it up.  Like this pewter collection.  It’s all about the context – just add this bat silhouette streamer and some autumn florals.

More spooky silhouettes, this time mounted above votive candles to cast some really scary shadows.

Gather dark fruit and dark-colored candles for a Halloween centerpiece.  Then add some roaches.  Nice.

And don’t forget the spiders!  Some are stickers, others are plastic toys.  It looks like these votives are sitting in some bloody liquid.

Wouldn’t you love to have a dinner in this dining room on a dark, stormy night?

So, are you ready for the spookiest Halloween yet?

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