Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Happy Halloween!
Best Wishes For No Tricks and ALL Treats This Halloween!
Now Go Out There and Get That Candy! (haha)
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Free Printable Halloween Masks
Thanks to Halloween Addict for posting a link to Thrillist.com's compilation of free printable Halloween masks!
These free printables can help those who haven't had the time, funds, or inclination to put together a costume yet! I am particularly partial to the Frankenstein face with the Hello Kitty band-aid and the "Abby Normal" name tag!
These files come in pdf format so all you have to do is open one, print it out, and stick it to your face!
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Cleaning Up After Your Halloween Party!
After the Party:
Congratulations! Your party went off without a hitch & everyone had a good time! Now that everyone is a)gone or b)passed out on your couch you can do some light cleaning. I know, I know, it kinda sucks but if you do a litttttle now it will save you some grief tomorrow!1) Pack up or put away party foods and trays. Lord knows it's easier to take care of the guacamole dip before it turns into a solid.
2) Try to gather cups and toss drinks. Nothing quite complements the morning after like the smell of sticky punch or warm beer.
3) If you were made aware of any spills make sure to treat them with the proper cleanser. The sooner you catch them, the more luck you'll have in getting them out!
4) Clean up any spills so you don't end up walking on a sticky floor in the morning.
The Morning After:
1) Start Pickin' Up the Joint: designate one trash bag for trash and the other for recyclables and start collecting the leftover plates. Once this is accomplished you would be surprised how accomplished you feel.
2) Walk around and try to identify any spills which you did not notice last night. Treat them quickly so you don't end up with stains!
3) Open the windows! Oftentimes the smell of food, body odor, and smoke from the machine can linger long after the party is over. I like to get some air circulating in the apartment. You can also make copious usage of products like fabric refresher and incense to get your home smelling back to normal.
4) Sprinkle some baking soda or carpet refresher on the carpets, let it sit for 5-10 minutes and then vaccum! These steps also help with the process of de-stinking your home! If you're especially weird about cleaning (like me) clean your hard surface floors as well!
5) Wash some dishes! Seriously, I would pay to have someone do this for me..
Click here or below for some cleaning tips which are cheap, easy, and eco-friendly!
Friday, October 26, 2012
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Ghost Adventures: Eastern State Penitentiary
Many may balk but during the Halloween season I love to indulge in ghost investigation tv shows and documentaries. There's nothing to get you in the Halloween spirit like the prospect of seeing/hearing a real live haunting. Not to mention that many of the locations covered are often very creepy looking and can serve as decoration inspiration!
One of my favorite investigation locations is Eastern State Penitentiary -something creepy always happens no matter which show or group shows up to investigate. Team this up with the prison's horrific past and you've got yourself an evening's worth of entertainment!
Below is one such special -can you spot any ghosties?
Buttoned Up: Decorate for Halloween for less than $15
getbuttonedup.com
The average American plans to spend well over $70 this year on Halloween decorations, candy and costumes. Can you see us recoiling in horror from there?
Fortunately, a little advanced planning and organization can help you spend less and save more. In that spirit, we've put together a list of things you can do to decorate your house for Halloween on a serious budget.
1. Spooky Music Sets the Scene for Nothing: It's amazing how imaginations will run wild when given very little stimuli. If you did nothing but turn out all the lights in your house and put a portable speaker or iPod dock on the porch blaring some spooky music, you still would make passing trick-or-treaters squeal with delight.
2. Brown Bag Luminarias Set the Mood...for Less than $4: Flickering candlelight adds just the right bit of mystery and mood to homes at Halloween. Grab some brown lunch bags, fill the bottom quarter with sand and stick in tea lights -- Ikea sells bags of 100 for $3.99. Better yet, check around your house first. We'll bet you have more than a handful of half-burned votives or tea lights. Battery-operated votives work well, too. You can also use empty plastic gallon milk cartons. Simply cut off the bottoms, peel off any stickers, and decorate the carton's main side with a ghost-like face. Place the votive candle or battery-operated votive inside and you have a ghost-lined walkway.
3. Sprinkle Tombstones on the Lawn...for $0: Cut out tombstone shapes from cardboard boxes you already have. Make them look old and worn by pressing the edges with your fingers. If you have gray, silver or black paint, apply a coat. If not, just decorate the boxes with markers and place them around your yard. Pile leaves or bits of straw around the bottoms for a bit of spooky flair.
4. Hang Ghost Balloons...for $5: Have some basic latex balloons blown up with helium at your local party super store. When you get them home, drape them with light, white sheets and blankets and voila -- you have ghosts floating in your midst.
5. Pick a Pumpkin at the Grocery Store or Farmers Market...for $6. In general, supermarkets and farmers markets have the best prices on pumpkins. A quick check of all types of stores in the expensive New York and Los Angeles metropolitan areas revealed grocery stores drove the hardest bargain. A 15-pound pumpkin can be yours for $5 or $6. Farmers markets are also a great place to go pumpkin hunting. The markets we visited had a wide variety of pumpkins for sale, including miniature pumpkins and gourds that sell for 50 cents each and typical carving pumpkins going for a few dollars.
The bottom line: A few minutes for brainstorming and planning decorations will help you stretch your dollars.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Mummy Door DIY: In Progress
I was looking for unique ideas for door decoration when I came across a message board for teachers which included images of various "Mummy doors". I'm not finished wrapping yet but I decided to go ahead and include the project into the blog while everyone is still gearing up for Halloween and their Halloween parties!
So far this project has only cost $3 which includes two pieces of poster board and a roll of crepe paper. I will need to pick up another roll of white crepe paper so I'm going to estimate the total cost of the project to be $4.
Note: If you live in a humid climate (like I do) you might want to try this project using fabric or gauze. My mummy was wrapped much tighter until we had a couple days of rain & now he's superrr droopy :(
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Free Printables from Cruz & Christina
Click here to download these totally awesome soda labels! These would be great for any spooky party or gathering!
Also, check out their free Halloween cupcake topper printables!
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Monday, October 15, 2012
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Monday, October 8, 2012
The Work of Thienbao on Deviantart.com
Pictured left is an image created by the artist Thienbao which I have used for inspiration in the past!
Though not explicitly Halloween, Thienbao works in themes which depict the supernatural. Thienbao's depiction of original monsters and breathtaking fairy folk are definitely worth a look!
Click here to view an absolutely AMAZING gallery of work!
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Keg Wizard
There are many things to consider when acquiring a keg such as the number of people being served, how much they will be served, and how much beer you will ultimately need.
Of course it is possible to divide a 1/6, 1/4, 1/2, or full keg's quantity of beer by a standard 8oz serving BUT this does not account for those beers used for drinking games or even how much ice you will need to keep the beer cold!
If only there were a calculator which could help you determine all the information you need...
But there is! Click here to use kegerator.com's Keg Wizard! This website allows you to imput the number of people being served as well as their desired servings.
Once this information is entered the wizard will then calculate how much beer you will need (e.g., size of keg or case), as well as the amount of cups and ice you will need!
Friday, October 5, 2012
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Cheap Thrills: Big Lots Haul
Just a couple cute & cheap thrills I picked up at Big Lots today. If you have one nearby I would suggest visiting. Their Halloween section isn't extensive but they do have some cute goodies which are priced verrrry reasonably.
It is also a good place to stock up on essentials like spider webbing (not pictured) and orange fairy lights! I am currently contemplating a return visit to pick up a lit skull hanging decoration for $7....
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Glitter Your Shoes Like Dorothy!
Admittedly sometimes finding and/or creating a Halloween costume can be tough. Oftentimes they can be expensive and the selection can be repetitious. I know finding a costume can be particularly difficult for women because costume choices usually fall into either the "marmish" or "streetwalker" category.
If you are having similar issues with your costume this year I urge you to DIY. The above video shows that DIY costumes can be awesome and achieved without a mastery in tailoring. I don't have the specifics but this costume also looks to be pretty inexpensive to make!
The above costume is a "no sew" and is suuuper cute! Check out her channel for other DIY ideas which include Minnie Mouse and Mad Hatter DIY costumes!
Monday, October 1, 2012
Corpse Bride Tutorial
I really enjoyed this look! Not only is it eerily accurate but the makeup artist uses makeup which is extremely affordable and extremely accessible!
Has everyone decided on a costume yet?
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