Happy Samhain

Wishing you all a happy Samhain tonight!

Halloween- Budget Breakdown

Hi everyone,

If you remember back to the start of the month I said that I want to throw a Halloween party on a budget, specifically for £20 or less. Now as a pack rat I already had most of the materials needed but even if you don't hoard things like I do you should still be able to get a lot of the supplies for free, ie: glass jars, old newspaper, etc so I have not included those in the budget breakdown. I have also not included commonly available tools such as pencils, pens and paintbrushes because if you don't already own those you will almost certainly have a friend or relative you can borrow them from.

So let's see how I did-

Hemp cord (50m)- £1.30
Brown wrapping paper (8m)- £2
PVA Glue- £1
Acrylic paint set- £2.80
Clingfilm- £0.60
Cotton pillow case (pair)- £1.75
Food colouring- £2
Tealight candle (12 pack)- £1
Rice paper- £2.60
Hessian sacking (0.5m)- £2
Wool- £1
Polyester stuffing- £1.10
Polystyrene balls- £2
Masking tape- £1
Poster paint- £1

TOTAL- £23.15

Urgh, ok so £3.15 over budget, (or 16% over budget if you prefer). Not great but still a lot cheaper than buying any of these decorations pre-made from a shop. In total I made 16 different projects so that's an average of £1.45 per item made.

I hope you all enjoyed this Halloween Special. It was a lot of fun for me and I've got an awesome stash of props out of it, most of which will last for years to come. Have a happy Halloween and Blessed Be.

Halloween- Fake Bones

If you eat meat you can make plenty of creepy Halloween decorations out of real bones (chicken drumsticks, spare ribs etc) but if you are vegetarian or vegan you can also make some bone decorations out of papier mache.

Things you will need-

• Old newspaper or scrap paper
• Masking tape
• PVA glue
• Acrylic paint 
• Paint brush

Roll a page of newspaper up into a tube and secure it with a bit of tape. Cut the tube into several smaller sections and stuff the insides of the tubes with crumpled paper for added strength.

Scrunch two pieces of newspaper up into rough ball shapes and tape one to each end of the tube.

Next mix up a ratio of 1:1 PVA glue and water to create a paste. Tear up the rest of your newspaper into strips and dip them into the paste. Scrape off the excess paste and start wrapping the strips around your basic structure to build up the bone shape.

Once you are happy with the shape you have place the bones to one side and leave them to dry completely.

Next you need to paint the bones. If you look at a real bone you'll see it isn't a pure white but a very pale yellowish brown colour. Start with a blob of white paint and gradually add very small amounts of yellow and brown  until you have a colour you like.

Leave the bones to fully dry and you're done. You can place these on a table as they are for spooky decoration or you can wrap some yarn/cord around them and hang them up instead.

I turned mine into a hanging mobile as hanging decorations really add a lot of atmosphere to any room. 

Lifestyle- Nemi Comics by Lise Myhre

Today I wanted to give a shout out to the awesome Nemi series by Lise Myhre.
Nemi is a cynical yet hilarious goth who struggles through the daily rigours of work, relationships and general life stuff.

Nemi is generally presented in short comic strips for laughs with the occasional longer comic story thrown in with an important message to the reader. Reading Nemi has made me laugh, cry and want to get back in touch with my inner child/spirit of playful youth. 

Below is an example of one of the short strips. If you want to see more you'll have to go out and buy a copy for yourself and support the artist. (Which I strongly encourage doing because Lise Myhre's art and story telling is amazing.)

My copies are from Forbidden Planet but I have also seen it available at Waterstones and on Amazon.

Halloween- Animal Poppet

Animal poppets are cool little trinkets for any witches house. You can label them as tools for capturing animal spirits or as dolls that turn into the creature they represent following the proper ritual.

Things you will need-

• Aluminium wire
• Yarn or wool (optional)
• Rough yarn such as help cord or hessian strips
• Glue

We are going to create a simple snake poppet today because unfortunately I don't have time to create a more complicated one (8 month old puppies take up a lot of time!). Cut a length of wire 140cm long, fold it in half and twist it to provide more strength and durability to your frame. Next shape the twisted wire into a coiled snake shape as per the photo below. 

Take your yarn and wrap it around the wire. If you like you can use a dab of glue to hold the end of the yarn in place but this shouldn't be necessary as you just wrap the yarn over the end several times to secure it. Don't worry if you accidentally bend the wire out of shape as you can bend it back once you are finished. I bulked up the shape of the snake with a softer wool before going over it with the rough hessian as the wool is a lot thicker than the hessian so takes less time to create the body. 

Keep going around the wire and build up the body shape of the snake. A snakes body is thicker in the middle than it is at the tail and neck, and the back of the head is wider than the tip of the nose. 

Clothing- Red Corset

I recently ordered a couple of corsets from a sale on Corset Deal. One of them I'm using as the base for my wedding dress bodice and the other is one is this gorgeous red and black gothic number.

I'm really pleased with how it looks, though full disclosure it does seem a little roomy around the bust to armpit area, maybe I'm just not as well endowed as the ladies this corset is designed for. Still, I'm not falling out or exposed when I move so it does the job ok. 

The corset has a hidden zip on the left hand side and tight laces up the back. It is a steel boned corset so can suck me in 2-4 inches. All I need now is a reason to leave the house and I can show it off....I suppose I could always dress up and wear it out walking the dog! ;-)

Halloween- Creepy Plants

This idea isn't so much a DIY project as it is a temporary adjustment to your household flora. Adding some paint to your plants makes them look like they are diseased or poisonous, perfect for a witches house.

Things you will need-

• House plants 
• Poster paint
• Spray bottle (a paintbrush will do if you don't have a spray bottle)

Please note for this Halloween decor you MUST use poster paint on your plants. Poster paint will wash off whereas acrylic paint will stick and risk harming your plants. You must also be careful not cover the entirety of the plant as they need to 'breathe' through their leaves. I suggest covering the top side of the leaves only and leaving the underside bare.

ALWAYS carry out a preliminary test on a single inconspicuous leaf to ensure the paint you have is non-toxic and will not cause any harm to your plants. I am not responsible if you don't carry out this test and accidentally harm your plants. 

I am using black poster paint for my plants as it creates an unusual and eerie look. However if you would rather try using a red paint to suggest blood covered leaves instead then try it out. So first you need your houseplants. I am using a banana plant as the bigger the leaves are the easier they are to both cover with paint and wash off again afterwards. Take your poster paint and water it down slightly, you want the paint to be thin enough that it streaks slightly when you apply it so that some of the leaves original colour will show through.

In the photo above you can see how painting a green leaf compares with painting a red leaf. If you are using a paintbrush start from the stem and work outwards following the grain of the leaf to get a natural effect. If you are using a spray bottle filled with paint mixture you will need to put down some newspaper to stop the paint getting on anything else, or better yet put your plants into the bathtub and then spray them so that you can just shower away any paint that got on the tub. After you are done spraying your plant make sure you wash the spray bottle out with warm water to remove any paint residue and stop the nozzle from clogging. 

I would advise only applying this paint the morning before any Halloween party and washing it off the morning after so that you limit the amount of time your plants spent being covered. Poster paint will wipe off with a damp cloth, there is no need for soap.  

Lifestyle- Meet Twist

Last week I mentioned that we were in a bit of a panic getting our house clean and tidy and doing various repairs to our garden fence in preparation for a new dog. Thankfully our efforts were not in vain and we were allowed to collect our new baby on Saturday and bring her home with us.

This is Twist. She is an 8 month old collie cross. It was a bit tricky getting a good photo of her as she is very wiggly but an absolute sweetie. We adopted her via the Dogs Trust who do wonderful work taking in and re-homing dogs. 

It is early days still but so far things are going well. She doesn't seem to understand how toys work and is chewing on a few things that she isn't supposed to but she loves cuddles and snuggling on the sofa. Hopefully it won't be too long before we can get her to understand toys and collie dog puzzles so that she doesn't get bored. 

Halloween- Creature Nest & Eggs

Let's create a colourful and creepy array of monster eggs!

Things you will need-

• Eggs (if you are vegan you can buy some fake eggs to use instead of real ones)
• A small skewer or skewer like object
• Acrylic paint
• Paintbrush
• Masking tape (optional)
• Twigs
• Hay or straw
• Yarn

We'll start with the eggs. Hold the egg carefully and use the skewer to puncture a small hole in the bottom of the egg. I find lots of small taps create a hole without breaking the egg whereas one big push often cracks the egg open. Once you've opened your hole use the skewer to gently pull the insides of the egg out through the hole. Be patient and go slowly as this is a delicate process.

Once the eggs contents are completely removed give it a quick rinse inside and out to remove any remaining goop and leave it to dry. If you don't like having a hole in the bottom of your egg you can cover it over with masking tape as shown below.

Next you can paint the eggs whatever colour you like. I decided to have one red egg that looked like it came from a fiery creature and one green egg that looks like it came from a swamp monster. Applying several thin layers of paint works better than one thick layer. You can also stipple on the paint to create different effects.

Once the base colour is fully dry you can add speckles to your egg with a different coloured paint by flicking the paint brush with your finger or by using an old toothbrush.

Now we need to make the nest. This part is arguably more fiddly than hollowing out the eggs. First take some of your twigs and tie them together with a length of yarn to create a basic nest shape, that is to say some sort of oval or circular form. 

It will be easier to create a nest with fresh twigs rather than old ones as fresh wood will have a lot more give in it and be flexible to weave with whereas old wood will have dried out and will be brittle and snap if bent too far. Don't worry if you do have old wood though, you can still weave with it but you will need more yarn to hold everything in place as you work. 

Keep building up and securing the twigs until have have a nice framework to start covering with hay or straw. (If you don't have a pet shop nearby that sells hay or straw you can create your own by cutting some long grass and leaving it in a warm place such as an airing cupboard to dry out for a few days.) Be patient and keep weaving your hay/straw through and around the twigs until you have a nest you are happy with. 

As my eggs are from different creatures I only want small nests for each of them but if you would rather have a group of eggs from the same monster you will need to create larger nests. 

If you want to add some variation to your nests you could try adding in some fresh grass for a green coloured nest or various types of leaves, flowers or seed pods. 

Halloween- Eyeballs

This year I want some monster eyes so I'm making some large and extra large eyeballs.

Things you will need-

• Polystyrene balls in various sizes
• Marker pen
• Chunky wool/yarn
• Glue
• Acrylic paint in black, white, red and iris colours of your choosing

I am using one extra large polystyrene ball to create a dragon eye and several large balls to make gryphon and manticore eyes. First use your marker pen to draw on the outlines of the pupil and iris.

Next take your chunky wool and cut four equal lengths. (The bigger your eyeball the longer you will want the wool to be.) Glue them onto the back of the ball and fan each of them out in a different direction to create the 'veins'. Twist them together where they meet as per the photo below. 

Once the glue has dried you can start painting on the details. I mixed in small amounts of white and brown into my red paint to create various different shades of pink and red for the veins. Use a pure black for the pupil and go crazy with whatever colours you want for the iris. I used greens, blues and purples but you can create more fantastical effects with red, gold and other unusual eye colours. 

When colouring the iris start with lighter colours and then move onto the darker colours. It is much easier to darken a light area than to lighten a dark area when painting. 

Make Up- Stargazer Turquoise & Blue Review

I ordered a bunch of make up from Stargazer as I have never used their products before but know they don't test on animals so I want to see how they perform. Please note I am not being paid or sponsored in any way by Stargazer for this post, this is just an honest review of some of their products.

Turquoise Lipstick- 4/5

This lipstick is pretty eye-catching but it does need to be applied fairly thickly to get a nice even colour. Once it's on though it is fairly hard wearing, it does rub off slightly while eating and drinking but that can be solved easily with a lipstick sealer. 

Liquid Eyeliner- 5/5

I am really impressed with this eyeliner! It lasted for 10 hours without any kind of sealant and only suffered a tiny amount of smudging along the crease of my eye during this time. (And by tiny I really do mean less than 10% of it smudged.) The applicator brush allows for intricate patterns like the one below and you get a lot of eyeliner in the tube for your money. 

This liner looks pale when it's first applied but it does darken as it dries. It's colour is also more of a greenish-turquoise rather than a blue turquoise. 

Turquoise Mascara- 2/5

I think this product would work well for people with naturally light eyelashes (ie: blondes and red heads) but for brunettes it just isn't strong enough. I had to apply 3 layers of mascara just to get the level of colour in the photo below and as you can see it doesn't really stand out. I would like to try this out again later with a base layer of white mascara first to see if it is any better. 

Blue Eyeshadow- 3/5

This eyeshadow is ok, not great but not terrible either. I had to apply two layers to get a nice colour build up but once the colour is there it is a lovely true blue shade. It didn't last as well as the eyeliner and after 4-5 hours it had worn off along the crease of my eye and needed to be re-applied.  

Halloween- VooDoo Doll

Things you will need-

• Hessian sack or similar rough woven fabric
• Paper
• Pen
• Pins
• Scissors
• Sewing machine (or needle and thread)
• Large needle
• Wool or yarn 
• Buttons
• Pencil or blunt knitting needle
• Polyester stuffing or alternative (ie: tumble drier lint or straw)
• Tweezers (optional)

First draw out a basic pattern on a piece of A4 paper. The doll will be much easier to make if you give it a wide neck. Once you are happy with your pattern cut it out and don't forget to include a seam allowance. 

Fold your fabric in half so that you have two layers of material one on top of the other and either draw around the pattern with a pen or if you prefer pin your paper pattern to the fabric. 

Cut out your fabric making sure you cut the bottom layer as well as the top and pin the two pieces together. With hessian both sides of the fabric are the same but if you are using a fabric that has a right side and a wrong side you want to pin the fabric with right sides together. 

Stitch around the edges of the doll using a straight stitch. Leave a gap at the top of the dolls head so that you can turn it right side out later. Once you have completed your straight stitch go around the very edge of the fabric with a zig zag stitch to stop the material fraying. A sewing machine will make this process a lot faster but if you don't have a sewing machine this can also be done by hand, it will just take a lot longer. 

Turn your doll right side out so that the seams are now hidden on the inside of the doll. This is a bit tricky so be patient. A pair of tweezers is a huge help to pull the fabric out. 

Now you can stuff your doll. Use the end of a pencil or knitting needle to help push the stuffing down into the ends of the legs and arms. 

Once you have finished stuffing your doll you will need to stitch the top of the head closed. Double up your thread and tie a double knot in the end. Pull your needle through the fabric and before pulling it tight thread your needle between the two strands of thread. This will ensure that the thread stays in place and isn't accidentally pulled through the loose weave of the fabric. 

Hand stitch the hole closed, don't worry too much if your stitches are messy as this is going to get covered up by the dolls hair later. 

Next stitch on the eyes. I used two mis-matched buttons but you can use matching buttons or beads if you prefer. 

Adding hair to the doll is similar to latch hooking a rug. Take a strand of wool and thread it through your needle as per the photo below.  

Next push your needle through the dolls head but don't pull the wool all the way through. With the loop of wool on one side of the fabric and the tail ends of the wool on the other side place the tail ends through the loop and pull tight. 

Repeat this process until you are happy with the amount of hair your doll has. 

Take your black wool and stitch on a mouth. I used a straight stitch but you can use a cross stitch if you want a different effect. 

Now you can either leave your doll as it is with a face or you can add extra detail to the rest of its body. I used the black wool to add large stitches around the neck, arms and legs. I also added a cross roughly where the dolls heart would be. 

Please note this voodoo doll is for entertainment and decorative purposes only. Please do not attempt to do horrible things to other people with it.