Happy Samhain/Halloween 2007!

All this time thinking about and preparing that one day. And here it is.

I'll take the opportunity to write about Halloween day now, since I will most likely be caught up with a new project in days to come.

I promise to report it if anything strange should happen on All Souls Night though.....

First of all, here is what my Autumn-Faery costume looks like when it's done morphing into an Autumn-Witch. Honestly, I like it better like that. With the shirt and everything.
And yes, that tiny pumpkin *is* rotten on top. On Samhain day, I am a mean witch. I tempt you with spoilt foods.

Here is little bro's costume. Makeup by yours truly. I'm very proud of it actually. It doesn't show that well on the photo, but I found out that you can make realistic veins and bruises on pale skin using only purple and black.

Love him. He's becoming such a pretty boy. Isn't he? I'd kill for lips like his.

And finally, Halloween 2007's Disney-Princesses results.
Honestly I'm very proud of the kids this year. It actually looked like Halloween and not a royal congress of glitters and bows. We had a Snow White and Ariel. But also, to even things out a bit: a Ladybug, a Cow, an Elephant, some character from the movie "Cars", a darling little Witchlette...

And best of all: a 2 years old little boy who had a pumpkin costume at home but rebelled his way into coming with a Little mermaid crown.

The Joy of Chai Tea

I'm just coming in from a short walk. The sun was almost set, but it still shone it's orange rays on my face, still somewhat warm. I didn't feel so cold even if the wind was chilly and the trees looked dead.

It always makes me so at peace and connected to go for a walk like that. 10 minutes, it's all I need. Just to feel the wind mess my hair and look at the clouds and enjoy the sun. (Or moon.)

Of course, it's always nice to have a mug of something warm after a walk, particularly in autumn.
May I suggest Chai Tea.
We all love Hot cocoa, it'll always be a classic, especially with those tiny marshmellows on top. But if you're up for something different, Chai is the way to go.
I know, I know, *Tea*, it can't be a real comfort drink, you'll say. Normally, you'd have any right to call me a Granola freakette.

But wait, and taste. Give it a chance.

According to the box, Chai Tea is basically a spiced tea. (Oriental, but that's just a wild guess of mine.)
So there is Tea, (Green or Black), cinnamon, ginger root, allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon oil, clove, clove oil and cardamom oil. Add milk and a bit of sugar to that my friends, and you've got heaven in a cup.

I'm sure it must not be too hard to make the mix at home, but it would take experimenting. Maybe when I'm in the mood I'll try it....until then, I'll go buy a few more boxes...20 bags will be gone fast.

PS. I have no idea why, but the spellcheck program I was relying on is currently working in french only. So that means, mistakes are back. So very sorry, you poor courageous souls.

Even she...

Yes, even the Girl with the Pearl Earring is getting in the Samhain mood.
Here, she wears a beautiful venetian mask from Atelier Marega. Isn't she very stylish?

Fun Link

New York is one crazy city...
Whenever I have a minute in the day, I go read bits of wisdom and weirdness from random New-Yorkers. It's good for your health to laugh.
http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/

Witches

Of course, the doll dress wasn't done before Sis' party. It could have been, but it's that darn case of perpetual lazy. And the lack of desire to sew all night after cold fall days with turbulent kids.

So I gathered what I had around the apartment and went as this:

I absolutely adore fall, so to go as some kind of autumn faery was very me. It can't be seen here, but I wore a long black dress and a beige braided suede belt (medieval-style) with leaves sewn on it. It was pretty cool. And easier then the doll. And I had so much fun with the makeup.

For daycare though, on actual Halloween day, I think I will recuperate the head-wear and fix it on a cool witch hat. (That I have yet to find, always true to myself.) And wear a long sleeved black shirt under the dress for modesty's sake. I always end up a witch anyway, but an autumn witch is new at least.

Speaking of daycare and witches, take a look at what the kiddies did today:

I swear some of them have very artistic tendencies. I strongly encourage to take a closer look, they are all so cool! 3 and 4 years old did this!

Also, what is up with the Moon? Every calendar I own mark tomorrow night as Full Moon night, and yet the Moon-phase calendar I've got here says that tonight she's 100% full...So what's the deal??

Urgency!!

Oh! I need to vent!

Sister's Halloween party will be sooner then we thought! 2 whole weeks sooner!
So that means I've got two nights and half a day to finish the patchwork on that dress, or my doll costume will be kind of pitiful, as I will have no choice to wear an everyday dress.

And I will end up looking like Rachel in that episode of Friends, who went to Phoebe's Halloween party dressed as a pregnant lady who really wants to wear that new dress she bought before her stomach grows too big. I don't want to be the girl who dresses in normal clothes complete with devil horns or a bunny tail. No, never.

So that means I'll be working twice as hard when I get home tonight. No more Miss Lazy ass. It's patchwork time!

Halloween/Samhain 2007

Here's a sketch I did this weekend of what my costume should look like

I'm still going with the Sally look, only I was starting to stress myself about making it exactly like the character when no-one around me even knows what she's supposed to look like anyway. So it's modified Sally crossed with the Black Dahlia. If asked, I'll just say I'm a freaky Halloween doll. Maybe I'll add some of those very long, vintage-looking pearl necklaces too....and black lace....hmmm.

I was still looking for a cool wig, but now I know why stores like to insist on wigs and costumes being not refundable. Because they look nice and full and luxurious on the box, and then when you open them, they end up looking like a rat nest attached to a net. A cheap, balding rat nest.

So damn if I need to use a ton of hair products, I will do my own hair. And it will look fine. Most of the effect will be from the makeup anyway, which will be dramatic compared to my usual non-made-up face.

Oh, I haven't started the patch-dress yet. I really should...I feel so lazy, I just want to sink in my sofa with the biggest blanket and stare at the TV when I get home and it's cold like that outside.

GOD! I finally found there is a spellcheck on this blog!! Your eyes should bleed much less from now on!

Lily's Embarrassing Fact of the Day

On my IPod, between Tori Amos' "Cruel" and Loreena McKennitt's "Incantation" there is a song.

No, I can't claim that my little brother put it there....Yes, I uploaded it on purpose, yes I dance to it and even sing along. Yes I am aware that it is musical crap and I'm terribly ashamed to like Britney Spears' "Gimme More".


I needed to share the shame, I felt dirty keeping this little secret to myself.

Let's get started!

Right!
So I spent yesterday night shopping around for a long red wig. I would even have settled for orangey-red. But no. No, it appears that all people want are those short violent red ones complete with devil horns, or the over-priced Raggedy-Ann yarn ponytails

In desperation, I even went to D-Tox, one of those Emo/Goth shops with lots of stripes and chains and printed T-Shirts, because they sometimes carry Nightmare Before Christmas merchandise along with their Emily the Strange collections. I loathe going into that place, I feel like the center of attention, my week-day attire ( jeans, un-cool curly ponytail and sweatshirt ) being stared at by all those eyeliner-ed and spiked clerks. No red wig, even less a Sally wig.

So I started to lose hope, and thought I could go as the Black Dahlia instead...because you know, that would be rather cool, I would love walking around with bright red bloody slashes on both sides of my mouth, with the period costume and flower in my hair and all....
Then I remembered this would also have to double as daycare costume. Slightly too morbid and hard to explain to a group of toddlers. I don't think they'd fall for the explanation that I'm dressed as the girl who loves to eat lots of ketchup and make a mess.

So I'm back to Sally...I guess I'll have to just dye my hair red with Henna and straighten it. I was going to do that anyway, try Henna again....That or I'll find the courage to glue hundreds of long yarn pieces on a pantyhose bottom to make my own wig. I would doubt that, because I already need to make a patchwork dress, and that will be a work of saintly patience in itself.

What I can't wait for though, is to paint all those cool stitches all over myself. Fun!

Halloween is near!

Ah! My favorite Holiday!

October has me thinking of candies, pumpkins,costumes, Halloween parties...and of course, The Nightmare Before Christmas. I've been wanting to go as Sally for a few years now, but I never got to making that cool but difficult patchwork dress....and also I can't seem to find a long red wig....

But let's not start about costumes now, because this could go on forever. I wanted to pay a little tribute to my favorite Disney couple. Forget Snow White, Belle and their random boring princes.
Jack Skellington and Sally the Rag-doll are the best.
Their love story is so sweet and feels so real. The ending with them singing and kissing on that spiral hill almost makes me cry every time.
Maybe Sally reminds me of myself...because she's a creative loner, too shy to admit her feelings when she's in love. Or maybe because we both have a rather big calve-to-ankle ratio and a sizable bottom....
Sometimes I just find myself watching this child's movie as seriously as I would the most serious, Oscar-worthy romance film. The imagery is so beautiful...how I love Tim Burton....how I would like for that special someone to come find me on top of a snowy hill dazzling in the full-moon light, singing that it is clear to see, we are meant to be.....