Tonight is Halloween, All Hallows, Samhain, and a host of other holidays. Here, in the middle of Iowa, costumes will be thrown on and the night will be full of shrieks and ringing door bells. Children, and probably adults, will crash from sugar highs and wake up in November.
For the Pagan side of me, this fun holiday always has a quiet side. It is a night of the dead, a night to honor those who have passed beyond this world into the next, a night to remember. With all the passings in my family and friends, I think I need the moment to stop, breath, and remember that life continues.
This evening, I will gather with the Kiddo and friends, chatter and laugh, feast, and then go track down as much sugar as a pillowcase can hold. Then, I will return home and light a candle for those that have come before.
Have a happy, and safe, Halloween!
Showing posts with label halloween. Show all posts
Showing posts with label halloween. Show all posts
Monday, October 31, 2011
Friday, October 28, 2011
Create: Halloween 2011, Part II
For once, I am done with Halloween costumes days before Trick or Treating starts. Normally, I procrastinate until at least the day before. But not this year. I have too much to do to let those costumes sit around unfinished.
The Kiddo (and I've decided it really does need to be capitalized and will insist he includes Kiddo on his list of aliases now) shortened his desired costume to Wolf Demon Archer after flirts with Spartans, Time Travelers, and Steampunk. I made a few accessories and he found some clothes in his closet, added on a fox tail from the Renn Faire, and he is ready to go. Today he took a canned food item to school so he could wear his ears as a hat all day.
For the arm guard, I sewed a few straps of felt onto a shaped rectangle and called it good. You can find how to make the ears, and the quiver on this blog. For the glove, we found an old winter glove without a mate and cut it.
For me, I decided not to be a witch again this year and found some things in my closet to throw on. The necklace I made a while back. The vest I found at Salvation Army a few years ago to go with my Steampunk fairy outfit for the Witches Ball.
These aren't big, detailed costumes, but I've never had much luck with those. These are comfy and winter coats can easily be added. Plus, all parts can be worn in normal day to day clothing. Yes, even the fox tail can be used more than once.
Happy Halloween!
For the arm guard, I sewed a few straps of felt onto a shaped rectangle and called it good. You can find how to make the ears, and the quiver on this blog. For the glove, we found an old winter glove without a mate and cut it.
For me, I decided not to be a witch again this year and found some things in my closet to throw on. The necklace I made a while back. The vest I found at Salvation Army a few years ago to go with my Steampunk fairy outfit for the Witches Ball.
Happy Halloween!
Friday, October 21, 2011
Create: Halloween 2011, Part 1
With Halloween almost upon us and my sewing machine out of commission, I've been floundering on what is going to happen. I planned on whipping up a quick tunic/toga for the kiddo, but without my sewing machine I feel like I can't do anything.
Of course, it doesn't help that the kiddo keeps changing his mind on his costume. Just this morning, he said something about time-traveling. Last I knew, he wanted to be kitsune Spartan archer. Although if he wants to go time traveling, I'm going to demand he add a bit of steampunk to his costume.
In order to at least have begun his costume, I pulled out my trusty glue gun and some bits from around the house to make a quiver for the kiddo.
Materials:
Glue gun and sticks
Brown felt (leftover from another project)
Cardboard tube and stopper (from the pile for the bunny to chew on)
I found a large tube with a plastic stopper on the end and cut out the felt to fit around it, then glued it into place. The end was folded and glued down.
I was going to try to do something fancy with the top, but decided simplicity was a better idea. I put down a line of glue and folded the felt down, then cut it to size.
The straps were two inches wide and cut to the length of my remaining felt. I glued one strap to each end of the quiver so the kiddo could tie it on. I'll add a few safety pins to make sure it stays on all night.
The kiddo has a couple play crossbow bolts and a few nerf arrows that will fill the quiver. I'm not having him take the bow as it will just get in the way. But now he has a quiver that he can play around with. Hmm, maybe I need to make myself a shield now before he takes over the house....
Of course, it doesn't help that the kiddo keeps changing his mind on his costume. Just this morning, he said something about time-traveling. Last I knew, he wanted to be kitsune Spartan archer. Although if he wants to go time traveling, I'm going to demand he add a bit of steampunk to his costume.
In order to at least have begun his costume, I pulled out my trusty glue gun and some bits from around the house to make a quiver for the kiddo.
Materials:
Glue gun and sticks
Brown felt (leftover from another project)
Cardboard tube and stopper (from the pile for the bunny to chew on)
I found a large tube with a plastic stopper on the end and cut out the felt to fit around it, then glued it into place. The end was folded and glued down.
I was going to try to do something fancy with the top, but decided simplicity was a better idea. I put down a line of glue and folded the felt down, then cut it to size.
The straps were two inches wide and cut to the length of my remaining felt. I glued one strap to each end of the quiver so the kiddo could tie it on. I'll add a few safety pins to make sure it stays on all night.
The kiddo has a couple play crossbow bolts and a few nerf arrows that will fill the quiver. I'm not having him take the bow as it will just get in the way. But now he has a quiver that he can play around with. Hmm, maybe I need to make myself a shield now before he takes over the house....
Friday, October 29, 2010
Create: A Halloween Glow
So, I managed to decorate a bit this year. I decorated the walls of my office a bit, and the entry way to my house.... with bats!
I found a great photo online at Country Living somewhere. I have no idea where I found the link and don't have it right now, but you get pictures of my efforts!
And here is my office.
And our pumpkins! I'm very excited about these. I drew it all myself, yay! And it turned out pretty well, except I lost one of the gnome heads.
If you can't tell, there are three cut out windows with gnomes. There are actually two side windows that I didn't cut out but I scraped out so that they are supposed to glow like closed windows. The one on the right is a howling wolf for my son.
Happy Halloween!
I found a great photo online at Country Living somewhere. I have no idea where I found the link and don't have it right now, but you get pictures of my efforts!
And here is my office.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Inspire: A Halloween Night
Halloween/Samhain is on Sunday, The Day of the Dead/All Saints Day is next Monday. This is a week full of goblins and witches and good, fun gore. Mostly. Some years I am all over it, others I miss the point.
This year, I've gone between both of them. I decorated my office for the first time, but barely decorated my house. I was pretty excited at the beginning of October, but life has a way of changing all sorts of plans. This is going to be the first year that I don't make my sons costume. But yet there is still a joy in the season. It is one last party before the heart of winter hits and we are all stuck inside. It looks like it might be beautiful but cold out this year for trick or treating.
Samhain, for some Pagans and Wiccans, is a celebration of those who have passed on, like the Day of the Dead. We give honor to those who have gone before us, and reaffirm our what we are harvesting in our own lives. The fields are mostly harvested, the plants cut down to keep us through the long winter. Thus we honor their sacrifice and begin to take stock of what we need in our lives and what we can sacrifice.
I also consider it a day to take back the night. We are reclaiming the image of the witch, the soul of the witch, and no longer are we merely hags with green faces and warts, we are everyone.
What do you plan on doing for Halloween?
This year, I've gone between both of them. I decorated my office for the first time, but barely decorated my house. I was pretty excited at the beginning of October, but life has a way of changing all sorts of plans. This is going to be the first year that I don't make my sons costume. But yet there is still a joy in the season. It is one last party before the heart of winter hits and we are all stuck inside. It looks like it might be beautiful but cold out this year for trick or treating.
Samhain, for some Pagans and Wiccans, is a celebration of those who have passed on, like the Day of the Dead. We give honor to those who have gone before us, and reaffirm our what we are harvesting in our own lives. The fields are mostly harvested, the plants cut down to keep us through the long winter. Thus we honor their sacrifice and begin to take stock of what we need in our lives and what we can sacrifice.
I also consider it a day to take back the night. We are reclaiming the image of the witch, the soul of the witch, and no longer are we merely hags with green faces and warts, we are everyone.
What do you plan on doing for Halloween?
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