Ode To Halloween II

Halloween is a frightfully wonderful time of year!  I remember as a child the excitement of getting down the Halloween costume box from the closet !  Playing dress-up year round was a joy when I was a young girl.  I must admit, those who know me can attest that I still like my "costumes" year round. However, my mother did not let us play dress-up with any of the things in the "Halloween Box".  It was a sacred treasure trove. Filled with the likes of my mother's white majorette boots, a straw barbershop hat, pirate earrings, Mardi Gras beads, assorted glasses, make-up, mustaches, masks from Halloween's Past and many other props and baubles.  My brother and I would run to the bedroom for the annual opening of the box filled with awe and wonder as this simple beat up cardboard box with it's tattered flaps invited us into a world of imagination and possibility.  We could BE anything we wanted.... once a year !!!!  One of my favorite photos is me at age 2 dressed as the irreverent comedian Phyllis Diller.  My parents are awesome.  They put me in a leopard moo moo with a teased out wig and beads around my neck.  I must dig for this photo. It truly is PRICELESS.



For the child in all of us.... Try your hand at this game!  I bet your children just might take you to the cleaners. It's fun for all. Vampy is TOO cute!  I love making him fly!!!
TRANSYLMANIA 2









Trick or Treat !
Me and my pumpkin, filled to the brim with all the joys of sugar, would stumble into our kitchen! Having been scared by the urban legend of razors and pins in apples and candy, my parents would police our bounty as my brother and I dumped our ALL our confections out on the table and began the meticulous ""Sorting and Inspection".  No candy consumption without MANDATORY inspection!  Then we got to pick 5 or 6 pieces to enjoy!  The rest was relegated to the top of the refrigerator, where if we finished our dinner for the next month we could have 2 pieces after dinner.

This Halloween a friend suggested I be a Cigarette Girl.  After some thought, I got busy putting my costume together.  I love making my costume from things I already have around my home or in my closet.  I guess it's just the way I was raised but we RARELY bought our costumes.  There's so much satisfaction in nailing your character without having to grease the wheels of the retail machine.  I had recently purchased a beautiful corset at the Ren Faire and I knew I had a black skort, circa 1995. I made my bustle out of my grandmother's vintage slips.  They had ruffles on the bottom.  One was red and one was black.  I rolled the tops down safety pinned them up and then took the tie from a black satin robe I had and pinned that to the top of the bustle so I could tie it like a backwards apron.  The corset hid the pins.  I bought black sheer tights with a v-ing pattern and I had dark gray platform rounded toe Mary Jane pumps (very 1930's) that I bought while in Vegas last Christmas.

Next, to tackle my props.  I needed to design & create my pillbox hat,  I had some silver circle boxes that fit one inside the other like the little Russian dolls.  I found the right size and I started adding ribbons, bows, feathers, tulle, a black satin rose and some glittered red balls.  I went to Michael's crafts for these supplies.   The colors of my costume were red, silver and black.  With my color palette in mind, I spiced up the hat with a pinch of leopard and three red glittered cherries.  I bought some hair accessories at Strawberry with the intention of taking them apart in order to use bits and pieces on my hat.
My hot glue gun is my best friend, well let's just say the triumvirate is dust tape, safety pins and hot glue.  A person could handle most situations with these three items.  But I digress......

Finally, I had to make my cigarette/candy box.  Fortunately I decided to purchase the tray from Michael's.  It saved me valuable time and was perfect.  I went to Economy Candy in the Lower East Village and bought candy cigarettes and I purchased movie size boxes of candy with old fashioned names like Sugar Babies, Boston Baked Beans, Atomics Fireballs, Peppermint Bark, Whoppers, and Bazooka Gum from The Dollar Store.  I emptied the boxes and re-glued them shut.  I then glued the boxes to each other, in order to stabilize them in the box.  I used a rolled up place mat in the box to prop up my wares.  The candy and cigarettes fit perfectly.  I then used a shoulder strap off one of my weekender bags to attach the tray so I could carry it with ease.  Velcro secured the straps to the tray.  I stand corrected.  I must add Velcro to my essential items list.

I think I was the ONLY Cigarette/Candy Girl in ALL of New York City this Halloween.  The feedback was AMAZING!  Everyone loved my costume and surprisingly many wished I HAD been selling my wares!  I could have made a mint if I had had candy to sell.  The next time I wear this costume I will keep that in mind.  It really IS easy to create your own costume.  You just need a little imagination and then inventory what you already have and with little time and expense you would be surprised what you can come up with.

Happy Halloween!  I hope yours was Boo Spooky!!!!


Just sayin......
~Kelly