Tracey's Drink Link "Halloween Drinks"

Halloween themed drinks or cocktails are a great way to kick any celebration into high gear -& there are loads of Halloween tutorials on youtube on how to prepare everything from a spooky party punch to more adult liquor based cocktails. Below is a video from Tracy's Drink Link -these drinks look awesome and these ladies look pretty fun!



Tricks & Treats,

Jen

Spooky Soiree Presents: Decorating on the Fly (& on the Cheap!)

Hey guys! Decorations have finally come together for the party tomorrow. I put together a quick show & tell so you guys can see what I've been up to the past two weeks! This video has everything from lighting schema to an appearance by the big bad wolf!

I've still got some finishing touches to apply tomorrow so I'll be back to keep you guys posted!



Tricks & Treats,

Jen

First Jack 'O' Lantern of the Season!

  

Even though I've been suffering from a major case of the sickies this week i managed to rouse myself from bed last night to carve my first pumpkin of the season. Isn't he cyuuuute? I think I'll call him Balthazar...

So last year I first began experimenting with methods to keep carved pumpkins from rotting and/or molding (last year I tried cinnamon & that was a BUST!).  This year I read something about a method with bleach. I believe it's one tablespoon bleach to one gallon of water. You're supposed to let the carved parts of the pumpkin soak in the water for 6-8 hours. Afterwards you're to spray the pumpkin every day with the same mild bleach solution. The science of it seems sound so I guess I'll see in a couple of days! 

How's the pumpkin carving going for all of you out there?

Tricks & Treats,

Jen

A Spooky Soiree Presents: Eerie Archway

Hey everyone!

Just posting to share my most recent Halloween craft -I call it an Eerie Archway! I've knocked up a quick and dirty run down on the materials I used, a step-by-step breakdown of how I put it together, and how it looks up!

Tricks & Treats,
Jen

Vampfangs.com Coupon Code!

If anyone out there is still looking for the perfect fangs for Halloween, then I have the deal for you! From now until Monday, October 25 Vampfangs.com will shave 20% off your entire order when you use the code QUIETBOT1 at checkout. 


Vampfangs has everything from costumes, crazy FX lenses, and of course a wide variety of teeth/fangs! Check out the retractable fangs while you're there -they're WICKED! 


Tricks & Treats,


Jen

I saw she was living under some branches

Quick update just to keep you guys filled in whilst I put-together & edit the video for the next post! I've finished my branch arch for the entrance to the living room & it looks awesome! The place is really starting to look Halloweeny now & I'm really enjoying just chilling in the living room bathed in purple, orange, and yellow light! 

If all goes well I'll be building my fog chiller this weekend so definitely look for posting updates on that! I'm asking my mother's fiance to help me with the construction so hopefully all will go well.

Hope everyone is enjoying the season as much as I am right now!

Tricks & Treats,

Jen

Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat...

First of all, let me thank all those who entered A Spooky Soiree's first giveaway. Surprisingly candy corn seems to be the consensus for favorite Halloween candy (haha)! Congratulations again to Erika, and for those who didn't win the contest -I still encourage you to get out to your local farms, corn mazes, and haunted houses & really immerse yourself in the season! There are only a couple weeks left & you certainly won't regret it!

Just got done hanging my indoor lights! The schema originally called for just purple lights (to mimic nighttime while still being able to see) buuuuut turns out they were much too dark to sufficiently light a room. A couple added strings of orange lights seems to have remedied the problem!

The lights have really provided a skeleton for the rest of the decor. I feel like I'm now able to decide where other decorations should be placed according to the light!

And speaking of other decorations I got to spend some quality crafty time yesterday out in the yard. I'm putting together a kind of half arbor out of long lengths of branches, twine, black spray paint & black craft fine glitter. I've got a few more touches I need to add before I call this endeavor a day, but hopefully within the next few days I'll be able to post some pictures & chat about the process. Not to brag, but it's looking pretty awesome so far!

Tricks & Treats,

Jen

We have a winner!

After compiling all the entries, here and on facebook (into a master-list in order of entry response) I used the random number generator on Random.org to determine a winner for the four free tickets to Mountain of Terror in Asheboro NC.

I am pleased to announce that the winner of the Spooky Soiree Giveaway is Ms. Erika Galluppi! Congratulations & thank you to everyone who entered!

Tricks & Treats,

Jen

Only Two More Days!

FREE TICKET GIVEAWAY TO "Mountain of Terror"!!

I have some very exciting news y'all! A Spooky Soiree has been gifted with a four-pack of FREE tickets to  A Mountain of Terror in Asheboro NC. The tickets were generously gifted to us by Mr. Jimmy Hill who is the proprietor of this very awesome awesome Halloween attraction!

COMMENT BELOW WITH YOUR NAME, EMAIL, AND FAVORITE HALLOWEEN CANDY AND A WINNER WILL BE RANDOMLY DRAWN FRIDAY OCTOBER 15!!

Good Luck!



Tricks & Treats,

Jen

Poison Kandee

Today I'm featuring the makeup and costume works of miss Kandee Johnson. Kandee is a professional makeup artist and usually does looks more suited for the sidewalk BUT when Halloween rolls around she goes all out! Her Halloween looks range from Edward Scissorhands, to Cleopatra, and (as pictured below) one of the best Poison Ivy costumes I've seen yet! Her looks are elaborate but her ease in front of the camera and teaching style make these looks easy to accomplish!

Make sure to stop by her channel on youtube and check out her Halloween costume and makeup works!



Tricks & Treats,

Jen

Sneak a Peek

Here's a sneak peek of my next crafty project. How will this seemingly random assortment of things come together to help create a spooky forest theme? You'll just have to stay tuned!

Tricks & Treats,

Jen

'Tis the Season to Be Spooky!

So all day today I was thinking about what I would like to post on the Spooky Soiree. As I hinted (oh so subtly) in my last post, my halloween costume has arrived. I tried it on & it looks awesome but I didn't want to post any spoilers about it just yet. So then I thought that I could post something about my next project for the party but I figured pictures of craft supplies are neither riveting nor informative so that was out! Then on the way home I heard my first advertisement of the year for one of North Carolina's maaaany haunted houses/corn mazes & voila! I knew what my post would be about today!

As I just mentioned, North Carolina has a large number of really great (and nationally recognized) Halloween and/or autumnal events. What better atmosphere to really engage in the season or to be inspired for your own ghoulish decoration than inside a haunted house or romping through a corn maze?

For this post I've chosen to highlight some of the most highly acclaimed haunts of the season. First up is Ken's Korny Corn Maze. Though they do offer "Horrortainment" on selected nights in October, they specialize in a good old fashioned "family friendly" corn maze! I for one cannot wait to hit this place up this season!

Spooky Woods

Listed in Hauntworld.com's Top 13 Haunted Houses for 2010. This place has been running for a quarter of a century so you know they've got the scare formula down pat! New this year is their Halloween Zip Line Tour. This ride is supposed to take you over the woods for 3 hours & I'm just really curious how they work the scare factor in! With varied attractions, a live DJ and post-scare concessions I can tell you I'll be making it out there this year! Spooky Woods is located in High Point and admission ranges from $19-$25 depending on the date.

The Woods of Terror

Selected as one of America's Best Haunts (2009). This attraction looks to be subdivided into smaller themed sections which provide scares from clowns, zombies, vampires, undead miners, and even roaches! I always hear great things about the haunts in Greensboro, so no doubt, this place is good! The Woods of Terror are located in Greensboro and admission is $15-$25 depending on the date.

Hacker House

Voted by Haunted Attraction Magazine as one of the 25 Must See Haunts. Looks like it is both an indoor & outdoor experience. Thematically Hacker House has based their scares in local lore & the house itself is actually historic. I also appreciate their FAQ section where they give tips on how to avoid the long lines! Hacker House is located in Pilot Mountain & admission is $15.

Mountain of Terror

Another Haunt which bases itself on local legend, the Mountain depicts the tale of 17 trapped miners who vowed revenge on the town which did not rescue them. What caught my attention about this attraction was that there are 700ft of underground tunnels you must walk through -how unique and spooooky! The Mountain of Terror is located in Asheboro. Admission ranges from $13-$15 BUT!! they only charge $10 for police, fire, and ems workers, & if you are active military you get in FREE. 

I hope that these links will get everyone to get outside and enjoy the activities of the season! Support your local farmers by visiting a corn maze or a pumpkin patch or have a good scare in one of these (or many other) haunted attractions!

Tricks & Treats,

Jen

Special Delivery

Look what I got in the mail today!

Tricks & Treats,

Jen

The Haunting Season Has Begun!

Happy October!

I was soooo excited when I flipped open my phone today and saw that it said that is was finally October 1st! Now the Halloween Season begins in earnest and we can all find excuses to watch scary movies and snack on candy corn! 

Today I plan on swinging by Micheal's to pick up some more Halloween goodies and craft supplies for the party. At this point pretty much everything is figured out. All that is left to do is to put in the (wo)man hours to get everything accomplished in time. Only 30 more days until the day of days -I better get crackin!

Tricks & Treats,

Jen

(above image credit to sparth)