Small Pumpkins Dressed Up

Okay, we'll continue on a theme of sorts: dressing up your Halloween pumpkins instead of carving them up. I'm not sure why I am finding the mix of organic pumpkin flesh paired with fabric so intriguing this year, but I'm enjoying the decorative (and festive) possibilities - not to mention the classy understatement and the hasty simplicity these projects provide. A few days ago I shared with you the ingenious idea of dressing your pumpkins in fishnets (via Craftzine) and now I've compiled some little gems that have been dressed in nothing but thin stripes of ribbon, ric-rac and paint. The looks are subtle but charming and they work especially well on smaller pumpkins, which can be difficult to carve.

Eddie Ross dreamed up these gorgeous gourds and it's no surprise that Chanel was his inspiration. He painted the pumpkins white and dressed them in black ric-rac, attaching cardboard-cutout leaves to each of the larger pumpkins. Situated on a mantel with Spanish moss and surrounded by silver and Wedgwood, they are effortlessly elegant.

Good Housekeeping took the elementary but no-less-effective measure of simply painting stripes on these pumpkins. It is basic but still whimsical.

Another Good Housekeeping project: take your favourite strips of decorative ribbon and simply wrap a single strand around a small pumpkin. Gather an assortment of them together in a large vessel for a more impacting image and choose ribbon that coordinates nicely with the pumpkins' bright skin tone.

Ric-rac and ribbon combine for a variety of fun and festive stripes on these pumpkins.

Pumpkin Burlesque

If even the idea of painstakingly carving an intricate pattern on your Halloween pumpkin this year tires you, perhaps retiring to the boudoir will provide just the answer you're looking for. When I saw these 'dressed-up' pumpkins on the Craftzine blog, I knew I had to share this ingenious idea. Slip one leg of a pair of fishnet pantyhose over a smallish pumpkin for a somewhat naughty interpretation of the Jack-O-Lantern. Once the pumpkin has filled the foot of the stocking, trim off the excess and decoratively tie the opening around the pumpkin's stem. The lacy black patterns create bold and textured designs over the orange skin of the gourds and tease the imagination. The effect is elegant, grown-up whimsy! Visit Craftzine for more Halloween DIY ideas and information.

Costume Couture

I've promised myself that one year soon I will dress-up for Halloween. And I'm not talking about Devil's horns and a painted-on goatee; I mean really, really go all out. My dream is to do a drag version of Cruella De Vil, paying appropriate homage to Glenn Close and her starring turn as the classic Disney villainess in the live-action version of "101 Dalmations." Her costumes in the film were grotesquely flamboyant and I like to dream that my Cruella costume would provide the same shock of drama.

Grown-up Halloween costumes can be exquisite, as demonstrated over the years by Martha Stewart. Her Black Widow costume, her Ghostly Equestrienne and this year's eerie fortune teller are all wonderful examples. For the serious Halloween and costume devotees, they can also be investment pieces, as timeless as any wedding gown.

On Etsy, an online collective of artisans, there are dress-makers who are devoted to these heirloom-quality costumes. I've selected a few below for your viewing pleasure. All of the gowns are handmade in luxurious materials to fit your specifications, an attention to detail that is reflected in the price points - some reaching over $10,000!

All of the gowns shown above are by Glamtastik, who specialize in elegant burlesque . Click here to view their shop.

All manner of handmade Gothic gloves, chokers and cuffs at Tristiana. Click here to view her shop.
This extraordinary, handmade Roman head piece actually sold on Etsy for $14,000!
This $5,000 gown (also sold on Etsy) is reminiscent of one of Disney's wicked queens.
And if you're a label hound, why not splurge on vintage Alexander McQueen, like this Neo-Gothic gown from his 2008 collection.

Halloween Invites With Pingg!

Dare to be dazzled by the new Martha Stewart Halloween e-cards and e-vites, featuring designs exclusive to Pingg. The e-card and e-vite aspect is free for hosts to use and they can also purchase a folded card version of their invitation for $2.50 each. pingg will address, stamp and mail the invitations directly to guests. This way hosts have the option to send some of their guests an electronic version and others a printed version. A unique RSVP code can be found on each mailed invitation so hosts can continue to collect RSVPs online. Below are some of the designs. To view the entire Martha Stewart collection, click here.

Martha's Halloween Handbook

When I was a child - maybe 8 or 9 years old - I lived for Halloween! I planned my costumes with my mother and father months in advance. (My mom would usually make them for my brother and I, since she was aghast at spending money on a pre-made costume that would only be worn once a year. At least this way, there was sentiment involved.)

In adulthood, nothing gets me quite as excited about this Pagan holiday than Martha Stewart, her editors and photographers, and all those wizzards at MSLO who dream up the most magical ideas possible. I have, of course, every single special issue ever released by the publisher and I will have the new one coming out next week too! Below is the amazingly fantastic cover of the Halloween Handbook, a compilation of the best 150 Halloween ideas you could possibly imagine. The issue hits newsstands on August 31rst. (Yes, that's Martha on the cover as the "Spellbinding Sourceress!") Many thanks to the kind people at Martha Stewart Living for the photograph.

Martha's Transformations

I've often wondered where and when Halloween first made an impression on Martha, and why she now considers it to be her favourite holiday. Was it at her family's home in Nutley, New Jersey, where her father would often dictate to his children what costumes they would wear on All Hallow's Eve, or was it later in life, when she discovered the bliss of escapism and disguise in a complex and complicated life?

In one of her magazine letters, she writes: "I cannot remember one single year that I personally did not celebrate Halloween. Usually, nowadays, I get dressed up in a costume, apply a bit of special-effects make-up, blast spooky sound effects around my decorated front door, turn off all the lights in the house and greet trick-or-treaters with an array of candies and sweetmeats. As a child, I was a serious trick-or-treater myself, and I loved it when a neighbour went to the trouble to spook or scare or celebrate, expending even just a little bit of effort on behalf of the neighbourhood kids to let us all know that Halloween was indeed a viable and important holiday, when fun and games and tongue-in-cheek behaviour were accepted and expected."

Perhaps it's as simple as the idea of throwing a really grand party that appeals to Martha, and the ability to entertain in the most whimsical and magical ways with abandon. Whatever the case, Martha adores this day. Below are some photos of Martha in various costumes to get us adults inspired for the most nightmarish of nights! Happy Halloween everyone!


Martha as the Black Widow, inspired by the Queen of the Spiders from the book by Italian make-up artist Stefano Anselmo called Il Trucco e la Maschera. Martha graced the cover of the special 2000 Halloween issue in this costume.


Martha takes a turn as the Ghoulish Glampire on one cover of the special 2007 Halloween issue, which had a uniuque double cover touting both Good Things and Bad Things for the holiday.On the Good Things end of the same Halloween issue, Martha casts a heavenly glow of light as a Roman goddess.Back in wicked form this year, for the cover of the 2009 special Halloween issue, Martha chose a ghostly equestrienne as her muse.

And, oh, how she suffers for her art! We, as the benefactors, are glad for it!

Sinful Sips

Halloween is no longer just for the kids! I've compiled a series of sinful sips for grown-ups from the pages of Martha Stewart Living. Each one is a creative take on a traditional drink, transformed for Halloween with a few simple props and accessories. Choose your favourites below and visit this link for all the recipes. And, please remember, drink responsibly!

THE EYEBALL HIGHBALL
BLACK LAGOON, GRAPE PUNCH AND A BLEEDING HEART

BLOODTHIRSTY MARYS

GALL-OF-GOATS FLOATS

GHOST IN THE GRAVEYARD, SCREWED-UP SCREWDRIVER, BERRY SCARY MARTINI

PINA GHOULADA

SWAMPY SIP

SHRUNKEN HEADS IN CIDER

BOO-NILLA MILK SHAKES

BUBBLING COCKTAILS IN CHEMISTRY FLASKS

Pumpkin Cache-Pots

One of the most effective ways to display flowers in the autumn is to incorporate pumpkins into the mix. Using the orange gourds as cache-pots creates a stunning fall arrangement. Using seasonal offerings, such as mums, berries, asters, dahlias, cockscombs, rosehips and deciduous foliage, such as maple or oak leaves, brilliantly bring it all together. What makes pumpkin cache-pots so alluring, I think, is the simplicity they bring to an arrangement, making reference to the season in such an easy yet creative way. Fill a vessel that will fit inside the pumpkin (a jar or a vase) with water and FloraLife and then hollow out the pumpkin. Place the jar inside and then arrange the flowers, making sure each stem is submerged into the water. Below are some examples from Martha Stewart Living magazine.

This simple trio of pumpkins looks lovely with two of the syblings topped by an array of large chrysanthemums. Adding the third pumpkin, sans flowers, helps balance the grouping.

This extremely creative design has transformed a pumpkin into a seasonal flower basket of sorts. Fill with dark flowers and foliage, such as roses and purple kale, and place on a mantel or table. The effect is dazzling! Get the complete instructions at marthastewart.com.

Here, a bundle of sugar-maple leaves, in glorious shades of autumn, are carefully arranged into small bundles and wound together with floral wire. The bundles are again grouped together to make larger bundles. Inside the hollow pumpkin, place damp floral foam. Begin arranging the bundles from the center of the oasis, working in a circular form from the outside in to the center. The outer circle of leaves should hang over the edge of the pumpkin's opening by about six inches and lay against the pumpkin. Each consecutive circle should be slightly taller so that you wind up with a loose, round shape.

The pumpkin cache-pot idea works outdoors, as well. Here, a lovely arrangement is punctuated by hits of glittering gold. Spray-painted dried flowers from a craft store give the arrangement a hit of glamour. The gold theme is carried subtly across a vignette of smaller pumpkins and gourds in shades of green and gray, which are arranged around the centerpiece, creating a lovley moment on a rustic, wooden bench.

Terrifying Trees

I love these spooky (and campy...Okay, maybe slightly tacky) Halloween trees. They would look marvelous in the corner of a room to set a festive mood on Halloween Night, an entrance hall to greet wayward trick-or-treaters, or even on the stoop, outdoors.

In this example, a fallen branch is used to create the foundation for this dark decoration. The branch is sanded and then painted in high-gloss black. Its base is a black, plastic urn - inexpensive and available at most craft stores. The branch can be set in sand or propped up with stones and then covered with brightly coloured moss. Halloween ornaments adorn the tree, with small green pumpkin decorations catching the green highlight of the moss.

Here, it is wire that forms the tree. Tightly wound and coiled into elaborate 'branches,' the wire is easily manipulated and casts an eerie glow in dim light. The plastic urn in this case has been glazed in glue and then covered in glitter. Inside the urn is a plaster cast that the wire 'tree trunk' was set into when the solution was wet. Once dry, the plaster holds the wire firmly upright. Halloween decorations hang from the branches. Foam pumpkin forms, glittered in accessorized with wire filagree, catch the sparkle of the entire arrangement.

Displaying Delightfully Deadly Treats

If you're planning on entertaining a group at home this Saturday on All Hallow's Eve, why not set the scene accordingly? Display large groupings of delicious treats in a way that is enticing, elegant and eerie all at once. In some of these photos below, candies are grouped together by colour to keep the tone monochromatic: a corner of all-black candies or a shelf of luminescent orange sweets is sure to draw a hungry eye or two! In other photos, the treats are highlighted by creepy accessories that scream of sinfully good things!

These creature candy dishes, made of cardboard and pipe-cleaners, herald the delicious treats within. Click here for the how-to.

The key to a good grouping of sweets lies in the display. Here, a small stand holds various jars in varying heights and shapes. Inside each vessel are golden goodies, such as chocolate coins, butterscotch candies, yellow and orange licorice sticks and candied nuts. They're all illuminated by two glowing candles and highlighted by a ghoulish placard that reads, "Beware the Midnight Hour! Grab Your Treats Now!"

Similarly, this display holds a collection of all-black treats, including black licorice, black gummies, jelly beans and "witch sticks." Each is labeled with a fun sticker that has the name of the treat inside: "Deadly Morsels," "Rotten Sweets," etc. You can download the labels here.

In this instance, candies are displayed on a large dresser with the top drawer acting as a catch-all for suckers, candy corn, orange jelly beans and sugar sticks. On top of the dresser, similar candies (including licorice all-sorts, teeth-and-gums gummies and a mixture of black jelly beans and mini marshmallows) are stored in large glass jars surrounded by insect and bat confetti and large rubber spiders. To top the jars, small pumpkins are given faces made out of the candies they are guarding.

These obliging arachnids help guests get a handle on their snacks. With scissors, cut the spiders from their plastic rings (spider rings are available at party stores) then puncture their centers with a needle tool, available at craft stores. Insert the toothpick into the hole from the bottom. Use them to spear cheddar cheese cubes or mozzeaella balls.

Creative wine lables, available to download here, turn wine bottles into Queasy Reisling and Murky Merlot.