One year I was a one-eyed, one-horned, flying purple people eater. I created the costume myself without a pattern for any of the elements. It was a one-piece jumpsuit I had to climb in from the inseam, with leather soles sown into the feet. The mask, horn, and claws were [...]]]> Guest post by author and editor Danielle Ackley-McPhail

One year I was a one-eyed, one-horned, flying purple people eater. I created the costume myself without a pattern for any of the elements. It was a one-piece jumpsuit I had to climb in from the inseam, with leather soles sown into the feet. The mask, horn, and claws were hand made from polymer clay. The mask was done in such a way that you could not see my own eyes. My crowning moment was when someone stopped talking to me mid-sentence and said in the most awed and frustrated voice –”I keep talking to the EYE!”

The purple people eater costume won several awards before beginning its life as a talent show costume for a special needs school in Wyoming.

About Danielle Ackley-McPhail
Danielle Ackley-McPhail is an award-winning author and the senior editor of the award-winning Bad-Ass Faeries Anthology series. Some of her books include Tomorrow’s Memories and Yesterday’s Dreams. Learn more about Danielle and her one-eyed, one-horned, flying purple people eater Halloween costume here: www.sidhenadaire.com/crafts/purple.htm.

Creation process of a full-head monster prosthetic:

1) Lifecasting of model using medical grade alginate and strengthening plaster bandages.

 2) The working positive mould in coloured fibreglass for sculpting the prosthetic piece.

 3) The sculpt in [...]]]> Guest post by prosthetics and special effects make-up artist, Nik Walls

Creation process of a full-head monster prosthetic:

1) Lifecasting of model using medical grade alginate and strengthening plaster bandages.

 2) The working positive mould in coloured fibreglass for sculpting the prosthetic piece.

 3) The sculpt in various stages of development. I’m using a medium Chavant Clay NSP Plastaline as this will not inhibit the silicone later. The sculpt took 2 weeks, every pore, crease and wrinkle.

4) Moulding the sculpt. Due to the large amount of undercuts and fiddly areas to be moulded I had to use what is known as a “Harlequin” mould. Any mould of more than 2 halves. Tricky and quite time consuming.

5) Once cleaned in hot soapy water, the mould and positive are treated with a parfilm wax and a secret mixture of household products. They are then both coated with a thin layer of silicone to act as an encapsulating envelope, bolted together and the pre-coloured silicone is then injected. Silicone is a great medium for creating prosthetics, it creates a translucent and flexible piece that is the closest thing you’ll get to real flesh.

This is when the nerves start to set in…has the mould filled properly? Will there be any giant gaps? Have all the bleed holes done their job?

But the first time was the charm with this one, and everything came out alright.

6) Now all that’s left to be done is the seaming, where the mould edges meet the silicone creates a raised area that needs to be cut away and then filled to blend in with the prosthetic.

7) Colouring the piece and punching hair…this took me 2 days. Hair punching is a time consuming but rewarding job, so do it right and the results can be spectacular.

 Applying the finished pieces to the model, 4 weeks after the initial lifecasting!! I’m using ProsAid and Telesis 5 (but there are all manner of good adhesives out there) to attach them and putting the final colouring on with Skin Illustrator alcohol based make-up…avoid contact to the eyes with this one.

The finished result, I like to think of him as a hard working, down on his luck, Homicide Cop…Columbo meets Hellboy.  

About Nik Walls
Nik Walls is a Prosthetics and Special Effects Make-Up Artist with a broad and experienced history in short, feature, theatre, press and commercial productions. He was educated at the Neill Gorton Prosthetics Studio in England. Find him on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/nikwalls

Halloween Décor and Props If you want more of a fall season look, you can decorate with straw bales, pumpkins, an orange and black [...]]]> Trying to keep up with the Joneses this Halloween? I’ve got some great Halloween yard decorations and Halloween props that will rival any of your neighbors’ and make your house the trick-or-trick destination.

Halloween Décor and Props
If you want more of a fall season look, you can decorate with straw bales, pumpkins, an orange and black door cover and a pumpkin wind sock. Some other Halloween decor to consider:

• zombie ground breaker hands
• sound-detecting vibrating shrub with eyes
• black cauldron for dry ice
• light-up peeping eyes
• glow-in-the-dark skeleton
• ground skeleton
• giant hanging spider

 
Halloween Lighting and Effects
If you don’t have time to carve a jack-o-lantern this Halloween, line your walk way with pumpkin luminaries. You can decorate your entry way with black garland and orange LED lights, LED bat lights or LED skeleton lights. You could also replace your porch light with a black light and add a strobe light and fog machine for an eerie effect.

Halloween Signs
Add even more personality to your house with Halloween yard signs. Advertise your “grave yard sale” or warn trick-or-treaters to beware. You could also use yellow caution tape to notify visitors that your graveyard has “fresh graves keep out” or “this house is haunted.”

Halloween Inflatables
Airblown inflatable yard decorations are easy to set up and clean up, and, depending on the size of the inflatable, can make a BIG impact on the appearance of your yard. Check out this 10-foot pumpkin inflatable or try parking this inflatable hearse in your driveway.

Haunted Hearse Inflatable

Halloween Animated Props
If you’re going all-out with your yard decorations, add some animated Halloween props. This life-size animated Michael Myers from Rob Zombie’s recent Halloween II will get the trick-or-treaters’ adrenaline pumping. If you are making your yard into a haunted graveyard scene, you could go with an animated grave guardian. Or, you can give your visitors a wicked welcome with this life-size, talking and animated witch.

Halloween Decorating Kits
If you’d prefer a one-stop-shop for Halloween yard decorations, you can always go with a Halloween yard decorations kit, a haunted house decorations kit, crime scene decorations kit or a graveyard decorations kit to make sure you have everything you need to make your house stand out in a spooky way.

Hope these ideas help inspire your Halloween decorating! Check back tomorrow to learn how to make a monster mask from a pro prosthetics and special effects makeup artist.

It’s finally my favorite time of year again. Time for Fall, football and foxy females glammed up for Halloween. Ladies, don’t be afraid to be as flirtatious, naughty or nice as you want with your costume – you have full liberty to take on whatever personality you want on Halloween. With so [...]]]>

Sexy Devil Costume

It’s finally my favorite time of year again. Time for Fall, football and foxy females glammed up for Halloween. Ladies, don’t be afraid to be as flirtatious, naughty or nice as you want with your costume – you have full liberty to take on whatever personality you want on Halloween. With so many Halloween costume sites out there, finding the best of the best in sexy costumes isn’t easy. Don’t worry, I’m always more than willing to help in this area! Here’s a countdown of my top 10 sexiest Halloween costumes for 2009:

Sexy School Girl Costume

10. Sexy Devil

9.  Greek Goddess

8.  Playboy Bunny

7.  Sexy School Girl

Cowgirl Adult Costume

6.  Cowgirl

5.  Football Player

4.  Cop (Remember to carry handcuffs)

3. French Maid

2.  Nurse

And the number one sexiest costume for 2009 is……

1. Beer Garden Girl

Beer Garden Girl Costume

If you’re decorating your lawn this year, we have information you don’t want to miss. Stay tuned tomorrow for Halli’s post on Halloween yard decorations.

“Ready, Aim, Fire! – With a Glue Gun, You, Too, Can Be a Domestic Superhero”

The gun is on the table. It’s hot and smoldering. People in my house are anxious, but know better than to stand between me and my glue gun. I pull the trigger [...]]]> Guest post by author and syndicated columnist Marni Jameson

“Ready, Aim, Fire! – With a Glue Gun, You, Too, Can Be a Domestic Superhero”

The gun is on the table. It’s hot and smoldering. People in my house are anxious, but know better than to stand between me and my glue gun. I pull the trigger and shoot. At the moment my target is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for my 13-year-old daughter. I guess, if your mother ever starts to make you a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and plugs in a glue gun, you have reason to be nervous, or suspect she’s gone glue-gun gonzo, or both.

The gun-sandwich incident started when my daughter mentioned she was invited to a Halloween costume party. The prize for best costume was an I-pod Nano.

“Holy smokes!” I said. “When I was a kid, the best costume prize was a bag of candy corn.”

She rolled her eyes to let me know that was before the dinosaurs, then said, “I think I’ll be a witch.”

“Witches don’t win costume contests,” I said, getting, okay, a little competitive. “People who win costume contests come as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”

“That’s what I’ll be!” She exclaimed.

Suddenly, the witch costume sounded pretty good, but thanks to me and my fat mouth, the black cat was out of the trick-or-treat bag.

As a public service, I don’t own a sewing machine. To compensate, however, I am a glue gun sharpshooter. In fact, armed with a glue gun, I turn into a domestic superhero. I can stick trim on pillows and lampshades, attach fringe to upholstered chairs and table skirts, reattach peeling wallpaper, doll up plain window shades, cement centerpieces to windy outdoor tables, create dried flower arrangements, make napkin rings out of fabric-covered cardboard, upholster walls and make drapes. Beyond home décor, I can also use a glue gun to seal envelopes without leaving any DNA, put a bow on my sandals or the dog’s head, secure someone’s toupee, fix a hem, and quite possibly attach false eyelashes, though I’ve never tried.

Still, I have a long way to go to become Glue Gun Queen. That title goes to Marian McEvoy, author of Glue Gun Décor (Harry N. Abrams Books 2005). I once spent a day with McEvoy, for a story I was writing. At the time she was the editor of Elle Décor, and before that of House Beautiful. We spent part of the day at her chic New York City apartment, which she’d decorated in red, black and white. The really memorable part was that she’d covered every wall with a solid crust of white seashells. She’d glue gunned the shells on herself. As we talked, we’d occasionally hear a small clack, like the sinking sound your earring makes when it hits the drain, only these were shells plinking on her wood floor.

“That’s why I have a glue gun going in every room at all times,” she said, as if that were the most normal thing in the world. Now I understand.

Costume party day, I zoom to Michael’s for two, 30-inch square slices of foam; grape purple and peanut brown tissue; tan felt (for crust); and ribbon to tie the sandwich sign around my daughter’s neck. Back home, I aim and shoot. My daughter, now a brown belt in glue gun, assists.

“Is this going to hold?” she asks.

“Honey, what do you think holds this house together?”

She tries on the sandwich.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Costume

“Hot dang!” I say, reveling in the instant satisfaction glue guns can bring.

Suddenly, my daughter gets a horrified look: “You’re not going to write about this, are you?”

I give a crafty smile. “Not if you give me the I-pod.”

She won the contest. She kept the I-pod.

So here’s the story.

Beyond making no-sew Halloween costumes, here are some more home decorating glue gun ideas and tips from McEvoy’s book:

• Add imagination: Use a glue gun to embellish walls, ceilings, furniture, frames, window coverings, lampshades, pillows, upholstery, flowerpots, and more with fabric, trim, appliqués, shells and leaves.
• Be tailored not tacky: Glue-gunned stuff can look cheesy. To avoid looking like a glue-gun amateur, think, plan, cut precisely, and glue with care.
• Use cool tools with hot glue: Get a glue gun that lets you change nozzles, glue flow and temperature. Use professional stainless scissors, sharp manicure scissors and razorblades to make clean cuts. McEvoy swears by Aleene’s Stop Fraying to finish fabric edges. A soft toothbrush and tweezers can whisk away the inevitable spider web strands and excess glue.
• Rough beats slick: The best materials are a little porous or rough. Metal and mirrors don’t work well. Thick fabrics (velvet) work better than thin (sheer). Surfaces have to be clean.
• Find steals: Rummage through fabric store remnant bins, e-bay, flea markets and garage sales for unique ribbons, trim and crewel fabrics. Turn to nature for pebbles, feathers, shells, seeds and leaves.
• Wash and wear: For clothes, curtains or bedding, use washable glue sticks for fabric, available at most well-stocked craft stores.
• Strike while it’s hot: Work in small sections because glue hardens in a few seconds. If glue dries too fast or lands where it shouldn’t, let it cool completely, then peel it off.
• Still think it’s tacky? Check out the images at www.chriskendall.net. Look under “Portfolio,” then “Glue Gun Décor.”

About Marni Jameson
Marni Jameson is a nationally syndicated home design columnist, and author of the best-selling book, “”The House Always Wins: Create the Home You Love-Without Busting Your Budget,” and the forthcoming “House of Havoc: How to Make – and Keep – a Beautiful Home Despite Cheap Spouses Messy Kids and Other Difficult Roommates” (due in stores this February.) Visit her Web site to learn more: www.marnijameson.com

First, get a look into pirate life with one of my favorite fight scenes from the movie [...]]]> Ahoy me hearties and shiver me timbers! Did you know this past Saturday was Talk Like a Pirate Day? Don’t worry if you missed it. You can re-create the day by talking and dressing like a pirate for Halloween.

First, get a look into pirate life with one of my favorite fight scenes from the movie “Pirates of the Caribbean.”

How to create the perfect pirate look:

Pirate Costume

The bottom – Pants can be either long or shorter (high-water style just below the knee), and you should cut into them at the bottom so they fray at the ends. The color should be preferably black, but brown, gray or dark green are also acceptable. Ladies should go for a black skirt instead of pants. Like pants, the skirt can be long or knee-length and tattered at the bottom.

The top – For the top portion, all you need to do is get is a loose, white, long sleeved button-up shirt. One with ruffled cuffs or collar would be perfect. Remember that pirates aren’t businessmen, so don’t make the shirt look too professional. Keep some of the top buttons undone and rough up the look of the shirt with stains and small tears. Finish off the top portion with a plain color vest (black or red is best).

Female Pirate Costume

Accessories - Black or brown leather boots are a must-have for pirates. So is a pirate hat or a bandana for your head. For ladies with longer hair, a few braids underneath your hat or bandanna will enhance the pirate look. As far as jewelry goes, grab a pair of gold hoop earrings and gold rings. Flashy necklaces and bracelets will work, too. Remember that pirates are known for being treasure-seekers and pillaging for gold and valuables – so show off what you’ve “stolen.” Lastly, you can’t be a pirate without a sword and eye patch. Both can be bought inexpensively online at a Halloween costume store.

Well matey, you’ve got the look down, but there’s more. If you’re going to walk the walk, make sure you talk the talk. Let’s get some vocab down with help from www.talklikeapirate.com:

1. Ahoy! – “Hello!”

2. Avast! - Stop and give attention. It can be used in a sense of surprise, “Whoa! Get a load of that!” which today makes it more of a “Check it out” or “No way!” or “Get off!”

Pirate Hook

3. Aye aye! – “I’ll get right on that sir, as soon as my break is over.”

4. Arrr! – This one is often confused with arrrgh, which is of course the sound you make when you sit on a belaying pin. “Arrr!” can mean, variously, “yes,” “I agree,” “I’m happy,” “I’m enjoying this beer,” “My team is going to win it all,” “I saw that television show, it sucked!” and “That was a clever  remark you or I just made.”

5. Beauty – The best possible pirate address for a woman. Always preceded by “me,” as in, “C’mere, me beauty,” or even, “me buxom beauty,” to one particularly well endowed. You’ll be surprised how effective this is.

If you have pictures of you dressed as a pirate from past Halloweens, upload them to our photo sharing page. If pirates aren’t really your thing, look for Halli’s post about vampire costume ideas.