bout of books readathon | book giveaway

witch craft: wicked accessories, creepy-cute toys, magical treats, and more!

this is a ONE DAY ONLY giveaway so don't procrastinate! i'm a particihosting with joli from actin' up with books [so go check out her page, she is doing a giveaway too!]

rules:

• you must be signed up for the read-a-thon [it isn't too late, you can sign up here]
• shipping to the US only

how to enter:

• leave a comment with your e-mail address or some other form of contact information

winner will be notified via e-mail on thursday, ideally i will get your address back from you immediately so the book will reach you in time for halloween so keep your eyes peeled!

halloween party prep | bloody brain cupcakes

basically all you need to make some awesome bloody brain cupcakes is:

• a box of red velvet cake mix
• cream cheese frosting
• a brain candy mold [could also look awesome with an anatomical human heart candy mold or one of the others at the end of this post]
• wilton red decorating gel
• wilton pink candy melts
  

yes, i do things the easy way and make cupcakes from boxed mixes. there is a great recipe for those of you who like to do things the hard way on food network!

[image and idea via xsomnis]

halloween party prep | bloody brain shooters

Bloody Brain Shooters

Channel your inner mad scientist with this Bloody Brain Shooter. Add chilled vodka and lime juice to a shot glass, then use a straw to drip Irish cream into the glass. The acidic lime juice will cause the Irish cream to curdle, creating realistic strands of “brain.”

Ingredients:

1 1/4 oz. strawberry vodka such as Stoli
1/8 oz. Rose’s lime juice
3/4 oz. Bailey’s Irish Cream
Splash of grenadine

Preparation:

Chill vodka for better smoothness. Add vodka and lime juice to a shaker, shake and strain into a shot glass. Using a straw, dip some Bailey’s Irish Cream into the shot. Once you submerge the straw into the Bailey’s put your finger on top of the straw to hold the Bailey’s in the straw. Dip the straw tip into the vodka and slowly release your top finger. The Bailey’s will curdle a little bit due to the lime juice and you should be able to make strands of Bailey’s.

Repeat the straw/Bailey’s process to build a “brain” in the shot glass. Add a splash of grenadine to the concoction to add the ‘blood’ to the mix. Down the hatch as a shot.

Recipe courtesy Dan Goss, Downtown Grill and Brewery, Knoxville, Tenn.

[image and recipe found here]

halloween party prep | dirty pirate popsicles

Dirty Pirate Popsicle

• 2 1/2 cups Coke
• 1/3 cup Captain Morgan Spiced Rum
• 1/3 cup Kahlua

i saw this idea on pinterest and had to do some further investigation... and it looks like a winner in my book. full on instructions on how to make the dirty pirate popsicle can be found over at endless simmer!

lydia deetz from beetlejuice halloween costume

Lydia Deetz of Beetlejuice Halloween Costume

Lydia Deetz is the moody, angst ridden teen daughter in the Beetlejuice movie and TV series. This hilarious "goth girl" is still a great choice for your Halloween costume. This is the perfect last minute Halloween costume because it takes very little effort to put together with maximum impact. Check out the photos below for reference to choose your favorite Lydia look. Check out the Deetz [no, I'm so not sorry for the bad pun]:

Lydia Deetz Costume Supplies
-Black camera [I love the Holga 135 because it is lightweight]
-Dress [keep it black or red with a goth feel]
-Black boots
-Black hat
-Black stockings
-Black nail polish




Lydia Deetz Costume Hair
Lydia Deetz has jet black hair, if you don't have it you can always fake it with a black wig or spray in hair color.

Lydia Deetz Costume Make Up
In the movie, Lydia's makeup was pretty much nonexistent... Black eyeliner and black mascara and you are good to go. If you want to glam it up a little bit, do a smokey eyeshadow and add some fake eyelashes. Or you could follow this makeup tutorial [that's not me in case you were wondering, I didn't make this video]:


Lydia Deetz Costume Reference Materials

alex delarge "a clockwork orange" (1971) halloween costume

how to dress up as alex delarge from a clockwork orange for halloween

alex delarge is an awesome last minute halloween costume. for the most part you need a lot of white clothes, white suspenders, and a hat. once all the pre-fab halloween costumes have flown off the shelf, you will still be able to find all the components that you need to dress up as alex delarge or one of the other ultraviolent droogs from a clockwork orange for halloween. makes a great group costume and even looks kind of cute on kids [reference below]. supplies:

wednesday addams halloween costume

How to Dress up as Wednesday Addams for Halloween

Wednesday Addams is the only daughter of the Addams Family, the creepiest family on the block.


Wednesday Addams Costume Supplies
-Dress [keep it black with a goth feel], bonus points if it has a white collar
-Black Mary Janes/boots
-Black stockings
-Black nail polish
-Creepy bald babydoll
-Giant [fake please] knife



Wednesday Addams Costume Hair
Wednesday Addams has jet black hair, if you don't have it you can always fake it with a black wig or spray in hair color. Wear it in pigtail braids on either side of your head.

Wednesday Addams Costume Make Up
In the movies, Wednesday's makeup was pretty much nonexistent... Black eyeliner and black mascara and you are good to go. If you want to glam it up a little bit, do a smokey eyeshadow and add some fake eyelashes.

Wednesday Addams Costume Photos/Reference Materials...

i mean, seriously. who did not love christina ricci as wednesday addams? this is such a great halloween costume, easy to pull off and the clothing items that you need for it can be worn year round!

still don't have your halloween costume ready?

[image of hrrrthrrr by pauliophonic]

no one is judging you... i don't even have a halloween costume ready yet and my favorite holiday of the year is only a few days away. if you are in the same boat and don't have your halloween costume yet, check out my article:

last minute diy hoodie halloween costumes

to find out how to make a sweet ass halloween costume using a hoodie, some felt, and not much else!

[image via monster-hoodies]

the friday editorial: bal masque

[images via the fashion spot - see full photo spread there]

vogue paris, october 2010

models: lara stone, mariacarla boscono, freja beha, daphne g, crystal reyn, and male models

photographers: mert alas & marcus piggott

patrick bateman "american psycho" halloween costume

how to dress up as patrick bateman from "american psycho" for your halloween costume

i think patrick bateman is probably the best men's halloween costume idea i have ever seen. this is my favorite christan bale movie ever!

Finding a unique and interesting Halloween costume for men can be tricky. Patrick Bateman from American Psycho is a great men's costume idea for your upcoming Halloween party. Not only is this costume unique, but it is also inexpensive and easy to put together making it a great choice for a last minute Halloween costume. For the materials that you need, most of them you will have on hand, and for the couple that you do not already have on hand, you can easily find at WalMart even when their supplies of full Halloween costumes are running low.  Here are the supplies you need to make your own American Psycho Patrick Bateman Halloween Costume:

• American Psycho (reference material)
• Clear Plastic Rainsuit
• Black Suit and Tie
• Superb Business Cards
• Dress Shoes 
• Fake axe or chainsaw
• A Phil Collins cassette tape to get you in the mood
• Fake blood and hookers optional

stephen king's "carrie" carrie white halloween costume

how to dress up as stephen king's carrie white from the movie "carrie" for halloween

Carrie White Halloween Costume Supplies

• Long white/pale pink prom dress
• Costume blood
• A tiara fit for a [prom] queen
• Bouquet of long stem roses
• The old school Carrie movie with Sissy Spacek [reference material]

Carrie White Halloween Costume Hair

Don't put too much time into your hair, after all it will be drenched in blood by the end of the night.  Wear it down and mostly straight.  Once you have your dress on and are holding your bouquet of roses, you'll need to pour the costume blood directly on top of your head.

Carrie White Halloween Costume Makeup

Minimal, natural looking makeup.  Maybe some false eyelashes so people will be less freaked out.

[bottom image via urban outfitters]

polyvore play: clark kent superman halloween costume

superman clark kent halloween costume
yes even women can dress up as clark kent for halloween! these instructions can also translate into a great halloween costume for children and babies.

edited to add - this was featured on polyvore's blog!

   

Clark Kent is a great women or men's Halloween costume. You can save money if you already have long enough hair, a blue t-shirt, a suit, and some glasses on hand. There aren't a lot of items you need to put this costume together, you can add as many or as few accessories to set off the look as you would like. This is a great costume for any Halloween party and you will need to do little to no shopping and still have a great creative costume. For additional inspiration when putting your costume together, check out this image of Superman and Clark Kent from dialbforblog.com.

 

Superman Clark Kent Halloween Costume: Materials
Superman logo t-shirt
Button up shirt
Suit - pants and jacket
Superman hair
Dress shoes
Glasses
Fedora (optional)

 

Superman Clark Kent Halloween Costume: Clothing
Start with a Superman logo t-shirt. If you don't have one of these, you can print and use this Superman logo pinned to a blue t-shirt. Put on a white button up shirt, leave some of the buttons unbuttoned so that the Superman symbol will show or you can easily pull it open to show people the Superman symbol when they ask what your costume is. Put on your suit jacket and pants and you are all dressed up as Superman's alter ego Clark Kent

 

Superman Clark Kent Halloween Costume: Hair
Superman and Clark Kent have black hair that is parted down the right side and styled with gel. If you don't already have the appropriate hair that you need for this costume, you can find a rubber Superman wig from Hollywood Toys & Costumes for $11.99 or a more real looking Clark Kent costume wig from Doctored Locks for $27.95.

 

Superman Clark Kent Halloween Costume: Accessories
The number one, must have accessory for your Clark Kent costume is a pair of glasses. If you don't already wear glasses, pick up a pair at your local thrift store, dollar store, or WalMart and pop the lenses out of them. You will also need a pair of nice dress shoes to go along with your suit. A great optional accessory to pull off the look of Clark Kent is a fedora hat that is grey or matches your suit. Other optional accessories include a tie, a briefcase, a notepad and pencil in your jacket pocket, and/or a copy of a newspaper since Clark Kent was a reporter for the Daily Planet.

 

polyvore play: edie sedgwick halloween costume

how to dress up as edie sedgwick for halloween
a guide to dressing up as the beautiful 60's icon and andy warhol's muse, edie sedgwick for halloween.

polyvore play: daria halloween costume

how to dress up as daria morgendorffer of mtv's daria for halloween

a guide to dressing up as mtv's most lovable nerdy chick, daria morgendorffer, for your costume this halloween by yours truly.