Better Homes and Gardens: Halloween Issue

Digging some of the decor ideas from the latest Halloween issue of Better Homes and Gardens.

For more ideas, visit the site! Or pick up a copy today!

My Halloween Costume for 2014...

Image Source

"I thought Medusa had looked at you, and that you were turning to stone. Perhaps now you will ask how much you are worth?"

- Charlotte Bronte
More Quotes on Medusa Here

I'll explain my fascination with Medusa in my next post, but for now here are a few pics from the costume process, another hot glue gun job (will I ever learn to sew?!).

Check out my inspiration board on Pinterest! 

I felt like greens and golds were the way to go and that a little bit of sequences would give off that scale-like look. 

Overall I think it turned out to look pretty great for All Hallow's Eve. 

(Had to do that Jolie leg-out pose for the slit, of course!)

I felt like loose waves with snakes intertwined would look pretty, but still be true to Medusa and her iconic serpents. 

Just more green and gold for the make up (crushed eye shadow for a scale-like look) and before I knew it, the party commenced! Here's my best friend Tatiana (Little Red) and I having a little too much fun, and my friend Jesse who loves his selfies. 

Sandra the New Martha?

 

     I've been a Sandra Lee fan for years, admiring her style, her table-scapes, her cocktails, how her kitchen always matches what she's cooking and baking that day, and her overall fun personality - she's like the barbie I always wanted to be! As much as I adore Martha, who's style is iconic and a one of a kind, Sandra always has a much warmer personality and vibe. And although their approaches differ, Martha being the up-scale entertainer and Sandra going with the semi-homeade method, I still feel Sandra is just as great of a home-entertainer as Martha - both of whom highly influence my Halloween season each year.

   Needless to say, I was very happy to see Sandra Lee's special Halloween issue on the stands the other day - a new magazine to add to the collection! The formatting was very much like Martha's special Halloween issues as it too included the double cover - one side for tricks and one side for treats - and, of course, Sandra in costume. Table-scapes, treats, and a lot of recipes for fall baking - definitely check it out!

Dressing Martha!

        Let's be honest, I would probably shit a brick if I came face-to-face with my domestic hero/holiday guru, let alone, was asked to design her next Halloween costume. With Martha's new Shriek or Chic challenge, these young designers get to do just that! Can't wait to see what these girls design for her. Although, I feel funny watching it, as I know her holiday issues and costumes so well - probably even better than these girls do. It's like watching Project Runway, but actually knowing how to win the challenge better than the designers. Quick, take me to Mood! 

Bird-man

 

     Getting really into My Haunted House lately, your classic home-haunting documentary/reenactment show format, but with quite a few strong scares. I recently saw this episode titled "Pest House/Sleepwalkers." During the first story ("Pest House"), a family begins seeing a "bird-man" in their home. I immediately remembered something I had seen images of when I was on my trip in Edinburgh, Scotland, and could see exactly where this episode was going.
    While on my trip, I paid a visit to Mary King's Close, one of Edinburgh's notoriously haunted locations and tourist attractions. Here, it was rumored that during the plague, several victims of the disease had been bricked up within the close. There is an even darker rumor about what happened when reopening sections of the close to rent out - that two brothers were hired to dispose of the bodies, and after struggling to carry the bodies, they dismembered them to make it a little easier... (read more rumor about the mystery here; Mysterious Britain and Ireland) No one is certain of this, and the tour guides tend to say it is fabricated, but what they do know is that there were plague victims quarantined, (though maybe not hidden in the walls) and the doctors who tended to them were covered head to toe, carrying sticks they used to poke bodies (testing to see if they were dead or alive). They also wore masks with long beaks (filling the noses with herbs to filter out germs), looking very much like this:

   Learning about these creepy "bird-men," or doctors, is just one of the interesting parts of the Mary King's Close tour. If you're ever in Scotland, I highly suggest it (plus, they've got one hell of a gift shop). In the meantime, enjoy this tale of America's own bird-man...

My Haunted House S02E06 Pest House Sleepwalkers

Still intrigued by Mary King's Close? Check out this episode of Most Haunted! 

Playing Dress-Up...

Halloween is not just about candy... it's about being someone else for once, even if just for a spooky night. Here's my Halloween Costume board on Pinterest! Not many pics on there yet, but soon enough it will have plenty of variety. 

Scotland/England Vacation Photos on Flickr!

   So one of the many reasons I've been posting so little is because I was away in Scotland for some time during the end of 2012.

   Scotland has to be one of the most inspirational places to me. Not only is it incredibly old and beautiful, it is haunting and full of bloody history that can still be sensed as you walk the grand streets of Edinburgh and drive through the Scottish Highlands.

   Mostly I spent my time in Edinburgh, which I must say is one of my favorite places in the world. This city is full of friendly and interesting people. It's a fairly diverse city with all of its university students so I didn't feel like an odd ball out as "the only American girl" in town. Like other great cities, it's got amazing shopping and restaurants, but UNLIKE other great cities... it's Edinburgh. It's got some of the bloodiest, darkest, spookiest history known to us all. Home to the most notoriously haunted cemetery in the world, home to the most infamous body snatchers Burke and Hare, and home to the famous underground vaults... Edinburgh is creepy, beautiful, and macabre. My kind of place!

   The underground vaults tour was so eerie and amazing, nothing but a few candles down there. But even in the small amount of light that was in there, I swear I saw a dark shadow pass through one of the vaults. No wind or anything can get down there, so... maybe it was a ghost! I don't know, but I sure would like to think so. Our tour guide decided to scare the crap out of us, by putting our tiny group into the most haunted vault (which had no candles) and then blow out his tiny candle that he was holding. And then unfortunately, my embarrassing SoCal-Girl instincts kicked in and I said "Um, you did not just do that!" like I was straight out of OC (which I am)... kinda lame I know. But hey, I will admit: I was spooked! You could definitely feel something in these vaults, the air felt so thick, and there was a constant feeling that something was watching us from around every corner...

   I took a few strolls the beautiful and spooky Greyfriars and I must say that it also felt as spooky as they say. The famous Black Mausoleum (home to the Mackenzie Poltergeist) was definitely distinguishable from the rest of the cemetery. I truly wish I had taken a night tour, but I had no close friends with me on this trip and I knew I'd be pretty scared to go on my own, but even so I know I'll get another chance to go back someday and I will definitely bring my cowardly friends along.

   Another must-see in Edinburgh is, of course, Edinburgh Castle. I could go on and on about the history of Edinburgh Castle, but something you may not always hear about are the prison doors they have on display. Most visit the castle because of its royal history, but something that really stuck out to me where these old prison doors, and how they still had the original carvings in them, done by the prisoners themselves. For some reason these carvings really drew me in; I suppose it is because they were done by people who were anything but royal, and they did these in the cells where all they had were the darkness and each other.

   I took a day trip to the Highlands and as our tour guide told us old tales about the pagans and celts who lived there centuries ago, I got to thinking... is this there Halloween began? Am I really in the areas of Europe where All Hallow's Eve first started by the druids and pagans that lived in these hills? It was definitely an area that felt heavy, in a good way. In a historical and natural way. The Highlands are stunning to look at, but being there and feeling the crisp air is really what makes is special.

 

 I visited Loch Ness that day and had myself some delicious whisky in hot chocolate on our little boat ride... but as relaxed as I was, still, I was on the look out for Nessy!

I believe the spec in the top left corner is Nessy, so... case closed!

   My aunt, who I was staying with, took me down to London for a weekend, where I saw three of the most amazing exhibits.

The first was a Tim Walker Exhibit in Somerset House.

His photos captivated me not only for their direction and beauty, but for their sinister, macabre, and eerie moods. 

Read more about it and view more pictures on "Avery Sweet Blog"

   The second exhibit was a Hollywood Costume exhibit at the V&A.

This exhibit was truly emotional for me as I have grown up on cinema and aspire to make movies of my own. Getting to see some of the most iconic original costumes from the movies that have inspired me throughout my life was unforgettable and moving. I don't know if the rest of the audience enjoyed it as much as I did, however. We as Americans tend to look up to movie stars as our own version of royalty, not sure if the Brits quite get that, but regardless of the other patrons, I enjoyed this exhibit with all my heart. 

View the Gallery Here

   The Third exhibit was called "Death: A Self-Portrait" at the Wellcome Center.

This exhibit showed how death was viewed throughout history and among different cultures, by placing dozens of works of art inspired by death all in one exhibit. 

Check out videos and Images Here.

Also while I was in London, I got to have lunch and tea at the Laduree in Harrods, a girly dream come true!

And of course, what's London without stopping into 221 B Baker St to see our good old chap Sherlock Holmes...

To view the rest of my vacation photos, check out my Flickr here!

Halloween 2012: My Costume...

Lydia Deetz.

For as long as I can remember Beetlejuice has always been an absolute favorite of mine, especially for it's Tim Burton style. The elements, and design throughout the film are truly unique to itself, but one of the costumes always stood out to me; this being Lydia Deetz's red wedding dress. 

The iconic look became Lydia's signature costume, as it contrasts her entirely black wardrobe that is seen all throughout the film prior to the wedding scene. 

When I first decided to create the look for myself for this Halloween, I did what I do every year: hit up the goodwill and other thrift stores. This year however, I did not find any great pieces to work with or alter. So I figured I'd have to sew and base for the skirt and then look for a top that might work. After making the base for the skirt out of regular red taffeta, I still struggled to find a good top and lowered my standards by seeking out a simple red tank top, v-neck, to at least attach lace too, but shockingly I couldn't find that either. I then foolishly attempted to make my own top out of the left over taffeta... keep in mind I know very little about sewing, and only sew what I have to. I pretty much glue-gun everything else. Did I also mention that my sewing machine broke before I really got going on the costume? 

Anyway, finally I had stitched the "top" together (which looked as jaggedly put-together as the flesh of Frankenstein) and of course, there were so many mistakes the top wasn't going to fit. When this moment of realization happened, it was 4 in the morning, day of my Halloween party. Pumpkinrot recently posted about every Haunter's nightmare, you know that one where you're scrambling to get everything together and people are coming over or trick-or-treaters are on their way? This was one of those moments. As early as it was, I knew I had so much still left to do that I felt rushed. So I did what every resourceful haunter does, I think "what do I have that I can rip up to pieces?" Then I remembered I had an awful Christmas shirt from a tacky Christmas sweater party from a few years back and it happened to be the same bright red. I pull that sucker out of the back of my drawer and cut off the ridiculous snowman design on the front, and turned the shirt around to reveal the back and create a v-neck for the front. 

Anyway, the costume somehow became a success - oh wait, I know how, my magic glue-gun! Thank goodness for that... 

 However, I mustn't brag about my own costume. My friends impressed the hell out of me with their clever ideas and great costume executions; characters from Pulp Fiction, Gangs of New York, and Moonrise Kingdom, as well a few cowboys, indians, and pirates... One of the most clever costumes was my roommate's, the bp oil spill...