Reveal - Halloween Costume

As promised, here's my Halloween costume...

My friend Paula and I were a box of Nerds Candy!

The costume was easy to pull together, it just took a bit of time. I used two pieces of foam poster board covered with construction paper shapes and letters. I cut up a pair of elastic suspenders and attached them to the boards so we could hang them around our necks and then we accessorized with some colourful wigs and clothing. 

We are still awaiting the judging results of our office costume contest but I'm really hoping we win!

Enjoy!

Calli

Haunted Halloween - At My House

This weekend was a busy one - as I tried to squeeze in a few Halloween crafts in preparation for today!

Luckily I was able to take Friday off and put some time into a last minute costume to wear to work. I'd had a few ideas but nothing stuck until, at hour zero, inspiration came via Coolest Homemade Costumes.com (great resource!). A few hours and lots of construction paper later my costume was complete - it's a duo costume (with my colleague Paula) so I don't have a picture yet but in the meantime a clue...  

Tiny, Tangy, Crunchy Candy.

With my costume complete I moved on to carving pumpkins. Saturday night (in lieu of a party) my boyfriend and I carved up a couple pumpkins. I opted for a mustached jack o'lantern in support of Movember and my boyfriend chose to re-create the Green Lantern symbol (against my constant protesting).

I'm really hoping that these pumpkins will bring us some trick-or-treaters this year - last year we didn't get any!

Finally, on Sunday I was able to whip up some Halloween themed cupcakes to take into work. Chocolate with orange icing and little candied pumpkins and worms - they turned out so well!

I love Halloween and I'm really excited to celebrate today but I will admit that Christmas ideas on Pinterest have already caught my eye...

Enjoy!

Calli

A Bit of Brilliance - Haunted Halloween Edition

Let the countdown begin - 3 Days to Halloween!

Can you believe how quickly it crept up!?! I seems like just yesterday I was brainstorming costume ideas and putting off a trip to the thrift store because "I have sooo much time to get things together".

If you were caught off guard too, don't fear - I'm here with some last minute ideas to ensure you don't miss the day altogether.

Although Halloween on a weekend is great for parties, the fact that it falls on a Monday this year gives you a whole weekend to bake, decorate, and get a costume together. These adorable cupcakes are totally do-able in a weekend.

Jack Skellington Cupcakes via Pinterest

Brain Cupcakes via Pinterest

If over the top decorations are too much for you, why not limit it to the outside? After all, it's the area that will get the most attention when the trick-or-treaters come to visit.

Bat Swarm via Pinterest

Skeleton Attack via Pinterest

And, if you can't do anything else this Halloween, get your pumpkin on and carve a jack-o-lantern! I want to make this owl pumpkin so bad but I'm worried my carving skills are severely lacking...

Adorable Owl via Pinterest

Have a great Halloween weekend!

Enjoy!

Calli

Haunted Halloween - Eerie Edibles

I love adorable themed treats and with Halloween only a few days away it's the perfect excuse to bring out the whisk, mixing bowl, and piping bag.

Chilling cake-pops, bloodcurdling brownies, spooky shortbread... all adorable AND delicious! 

Unfortunately baking isn't gracious to the waste-line, so whenever I get the urge to bake I try to have some outliers on standby to "share the love". My brother, his friends, and my co-workers never hesitate to step in - they can make a plate of cookies disappear within minutes.

If you haven't had a lot of success in the past, or consider yourself baking challenged, don't shy away. Sometimes what looks complex isn't that hard and a little practice can go a long way. Halloween also brings a great range of scary candies to the bulk bins of grocery stores everywhere. Gummy worms, fangs, spiders, and bats - simply use them to top cupcakes (homemade or store-bought) and you are sure to impress.

To get the inspiration flowing here are some charming confections...

Low-Fat(!!!) Mummy Cupcakes via skinnytaste

Spider Petits Fours via I am Baker

Not-so-complex sugar cookies via pacific thyme

Science themed cookies via Sarah's Party Perfect

Mutilated Muffins via Pinterest

Monster Cake via Makoodle

Worm Infested Jello via Swanky Table

I'm having trouble deciding which ones to try - and where to start! I'm really loving the mummy cupcakes and black and white spiderweb cookies which would transport to the office really well. I'll make sure to let you know what I try and any pitfalls along the way.

Enjoy!

Calli

Haunted Halloween - Petrifying Pumpkins

Jack-O'-Lantern's are fundamental to any Halloween stoop, lighting the way for trick-or-treaters everywhere. I honestly don't think you are ever too old to carve up a pumpkin - and the best part? Baking up the seeds afterwards!

Jack-O'-Lantern traditionalists will say that carved pumpkins are the only way to go. No fancy paints, patterns, or carving tools, just a kitchen knife and a roughly sketched face of triangle eyes and jagged teeth. However, for the more liberal pumpkin producers out there, sequins, lace, paint, and decals are all the rage right now. 

Glossy Gourds:

Stenciled Masterpiece via Pinterest

Chalkboard Painted via Pinterest

Melted Crayon Coated by The Swede Records

Chevron Pattern via azcentral

Love the Argyle! via Pinterest

Sculpted Squash:

Super Scary via Pinterest

Pumpkin Swiss Cheese? via Pinterest

Two for One via Skull-a-Day

Out of this World via Pinterest

Lovely Lace via Pinterest

Carved or painted, sequined or glitterized, funny, sad, or scary, a pumpkin perched at the door is the only way to great prospective trick-or-treaters. So, if you are expecting some little ones, hopped up on sugar, at your door go ahead and prepare a pumpkin before their arrival.

This year I really want to try making a vampire Jack-O'-Lantern! 

via Pinterest

Planning on decorating a pumpkin or two this season? I'd love to see - pass along a picture!

Enjoy!

Calli

Haunted Halloween - Deathly Decor

When I was growing up our local community centre always put on a great Halloween carnival. There were games galore, a cakewalk, and of course a Haunted House.

Years later I went to Disneyland and again, a Haunted Mansion in all it's glory, waiting to scare the pants off of unsuspecting victims.

I still enjoy a scare now and then - although it's more likely to come from a roller-coaster than a horror movie - and Haunted Houses at Halloween still hold a special place in my heart. In my mind, there really is no other way to decorate for the holiday - the more webs, plastic spiders, skeletons, and blood the better.

Unfortunately I won't be going all out this year - but that doesn't mean I can't admire from afar (or over the Internet...).

Supernatural Bar via Pinterest

Infested Arrangement via Pinterest

Terrifying Tablescape via Pinterest

Spooky Specimen Jars via Pinterest

Ghastly Exterior via Pinterest

Creepy Crows via Pinterest

There are a few days left before Halloween - it's not too late! If you head out now you may just find some decorations marked down from regular price!

Enjoy!

Calli

Haunted Halloween - Cadaverous Costumes

Halloween is coming and to celebrate I've got a whole week of creepy costumes, daring DIY projects, and eerie edibles.

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays and although I've grown too old to trick or treat I haven't given up on dressing the part. I think the best costumes are handmade - whether sewn from scratch, created out of glue, paint, and cardboard, or pieced together at the thrift store; there is something about a homemade costume that an outfit in a bag just can't capture. 

If you've followed along for a while you might have red this little post where I made up a bucket listed and expressed my deepest darkest desire to win a costume contest. Call it a competitive streak, stubbornness, or an inability to admit defeat, but a lot goes into picking my costume each year. Sometimes I get an idea earlier in the year, write it down, and completely forget by the time October rolls around. 

This year I turned to Pinterest for some ideas - you can check out my Halloween pin board here. So, if you haven't found a costume yet, or aren't completely sold on your current idea, maybe these can help...

Subtly Scary - Less commitment but still count for costume mandatory parties

Unnervingly Unique - When you don't want to be the 10th witch at the office

via A Million Things I Love

Dedicated Dresser - It takes a lot of work to blow everyone away

Corpse Bride via We Heart It

Comic Book Character via Go Retro!

If you don't have a costume yet it isn't too late! And if you dress up this year, pass along a picture!

Enjoy!

Calli