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Wearing
a Naughty Halloween Costume: Should I or shouldn't I?
We all can understand being a bit shy...but wearing a sexy halloween
costume is just one of those fun things that everyone should try
at least once! LTM Party features a wide range of naughty costumes
for women. Hey, who said Halloween has to be just for kids? Come
on, let yourself go, and have a little mischievous fun. Dress
up in your favorite fantasy costume this year for Halloween. Remember,
you only live once - this isn't a dress rehearsal! Might as well
celebrate every moment - LTM Party can help you find the perfect
halloween costume, and celebrate in style and comfort.
We are sure that LTM's wide assortment of naughty and sexy costumes
will delight you and your friends! Our costumes are made by the
very best manufacturers like Leg Avenue and Dream Girl. They are
expertly crafted, and very tastefully done. We are sure you will
be the hit of any Halloween party no matter which outfit you choose.
We can share some costume ideas with you if you'd like....
Our
Favorite Naughty Halloween Costumes
Naughty pirate costume - Perfect for a Pirates of the Caribbean
theme.
Great variety of costumes!
Naughty school girl costumes. Always great for straight A's
Referee Adult
Sexy Officer
Beer Garden Girl
Sexy Referee Adult
Miss Red Riding Hood for Adults
Candy Striper with petticoat
French Maids
Gothic Costumes
School Girl Costumes
Sexy Cheerleader Costume
Texas Cheerleader Costume
Captain Hook
Fairytale Princess
Lil' Bo Peep
Sexy Forest Hunter
Tinker Bell
Sexy cowgirl costume
Brand new sexy halloween costumes for 2007 include:
Sexy Pirate Costumes - Perfect for the Pirates of the
Caribbean Fan
Enchanting Queen of Hearts costume
Sexy Mile High Captain
Home Wrecker Costume
Daisy Mae Costume
OOH and while I'm at it, don't forget to compliment your costume
with some sexy shoes too! You don't want to dress up to the nines
in your sexy witch costume and wear penny loafers do you? Didn't
think so. We feature loads of go-go boots, and naughty sexy shoes
to go with your outfit.
Costume
Design
Review
"fascinating compliation of costume designers' sketches and
photos of the finished products..." - Express News
"looks at what actors wear on
screen. Interviews with costume designers chronicle the creation
of elaborate get-ups..." - Erin Hanafy, Associated Press
Book Description
Dressing actors to suit character, place and period is more crucial
to the filmmaking process than many realize. Costume Design provides
compelling insight into this fascinating craft, featuring interviews
with 14 world-class international costume designers, including
the designers of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Batman, Shakespeare
in Love, and many more.
*Vast cultural and artistic range
of costume design brought together in one publication for the
first time
*No other book uses so much visual content from the designers
*Contains interviews with some of the most celebrated costume
designers in the world
This book is invaluable for anyone interested in learning about
costume design--from the designers themselves. Fourteen highly
accomplished designers discuss their craft in highly engaging
and informative interviews, conducted by the author, Deborah Nadoolman
Landis, herself an Academy Award-nominated costume designer. This
is the kind of stuff that is usually neglected in "Making
Of" film books and Hollywood history tomes. The interviews
are augmented by hundreds of color and black-and-white photographs
and costume sketches, which in themselves are more than worth
the price of the book. Highly recommended!
This book is ideal for anyone interested in fashion or costume,
and the creative process that goes into the creation of design.
Landis, a costume designer herself, interviews most of the best
costume designers working in film today. So unlike other books
on costume design, where you get one person's opinion on the craft--and
that person is usually a critic or academic who doesn't really
have experience working in the field--here you get straight information
direct from the creative people themselves.
The pictures are fabulous, so I think this book has appeal for
anybody interested in clothes, movies, or design. Obviously, it
will be a necessity for anyone interested in costume design or
interested in being a costume designer.
Although there is a section on Landis'
work on such movies as Raiders of the Lost Ark and Coming to America,
she has obviously expertly edited the interviews that make up
the text of the book. It seems as if the reader is sitting in
the living room of these famous costume designers, chatting casually
about how they got started, what inspires them, and some of their
most interesting professional experiences.
Besides Edith Head, how many costume designers can you actually
name? This book is a phenomenal collection of interviews with
some of the best working film costume designers. You get a rare
insight into what it's like to design for the stars, collaborate
with the director and other craftsmen/women on a film set. Hollywood
is well represented, but international designers get their due
here as well. Designers describe what it's like to design for
the much-lauded period films and the often-overlooked costumes
of contemporary films (the author is herself an Oscar-nominated
costume designer for "Coming to America"). The book
includes lots of color photos and illustrations. You don't have
to be a film historian to appreciate it.
The most recent book in Focal Press' Screencraft series, this
book is a revealing look at the job of a film costume designer,
told from the point of view of the practitioners. The names, faces
and stories behind the most famous costumes from cinema are represented.
From period films to contemporary, from mainstream to art films,
from stylized costumes to naturalistic, the designers interviewed
reveal their design process and the purpose of costume design,
as well as what it's like working with stars and directors. The
Academy Award nominated (if not winning) designers interviewed
include: Theodora Van Runkle ("Bonnie and Clyde"), Italian
designer Piero Tosi ("The Leopard"), Jeffrey Kurland
("Erin Brokovich"), the books author Deborah Nadoolman
("Raiders of the Lost Ark"), Ann Roth ("The Hours"),
Japanese designer Eiko Ishioka ("Bram Stoker's Dracula"),
Anthony Powell ("Tess"), Albert Wolsky ("All That
Jazz"), Sandy Powell ("The Crying Game"), Gabriella
Pescucci ("The Age of Innocence"), Ruth Carter ("Malcolm
X"), Milena Canonero ("A Clockwork Orange"), James
Acheson ("Dangerous Liaisons"), and Bob Ringwood ("Batman").
A fascinating behind the scenes look at a craft typically invisible
to the audience. All of the designers deserve this long overdue
recognition, and this book celebrates their work with interviews,
color photos, and costume illustrations. Perhaps a future second
volume might include interviews with designers Colleen Atwood,
Patricia Norris and the design team of Jenny Beavan and John Bright?
Costume Design: Techniques of Modern Masters (Paperback)
Review
While this book is absolutely gorgeous, it isn't a book *about*
costume rendering. It's not a how-to book, but I'll add that it's
a wonderful book for inspiration. The text portion (that I find
is often skipped over in favor of looking at the pretty pictures)
is worth a read as well, since it goes into some detail on various
costumers' processes. Good book, but not an essential read for
costume students.
I have searched for this book in hardback form and I am so glad
it is back as a paperback. The conversations with the designers
are invigorating and enlightening for all of us in the design
business. It is also a constant source for excellence in costume
renderings. I find myself going back to the pages over and over
again for refinement and inspiration in my own rendering techniques.
A must have for every costume designer!
Halloween : A Grown-Up's Guide to Creative Costumes, Devilish
Decor & Fabulous Festivities (Paperback)
Book Description
Finally, here's a Halloween book that's
definitely for adults. It's brimming with practical and inventive
ideas for parties, decorations, and costumes, and with an amazingly
atmospheric design that's a luscious treat for grown-up eyes.
Take the dread out of a costume party with creative and playful
ways to dress for success on All Hallow's Eve; there are even
actual costume elements to use, from wings and tails to masks
and hats. You'll find ways to repurpose items right out of your
own closet or benefit from a quick trip to the thrift shop. Unique
make-up tips for a ghoulishly great appearance will complete the
effect. An elegant "Pumpkin Primer" supplies projects
to enhance the holiday spirit, including menacing hex dolls and
simple, spooky candlescapes. Finally, a selection of theme party
ideas, from Day o' the Dead to a Masked Ball, will make for a
Happy Halloween. After all: why should kids have all the fun?
Every knows Halloween has become big business over the past 20
years or so and second only to Christmas in terms of dollars spent
decorating. Much like Christmas Halloween has become an entire
season with stores dedicated to selling Halloween items popping
up every year around the beginning of September and people decorating
their homes at the beginning of October. If anything, Halloween
may be even more elaborate and more expensive with complex animated
items and realistic tombstones and other such displays. And the
costumes...one can spend upwards of a hundred dollars or more
on a good costume. That's where this wonderful book by Joanne
O'Sullivan comes in handy. The book concentrates mainly on costumes
and accessories, showing you step-by-step how you can make some
fantastic costumes at home, often with materials you may already
have or that can be purchased inexpensively at fabric or hardware
stores.
Each costume comes with a full color
photograph and each has a well done materials list and directions
which clearly illustrate how to make the costume. Now if you're
slant is to the ghoulish and gory, this won't be the book for
you. The costumes here slant towards the traditional such as a
gladiator, Knight, and Witch, to the rather sublime such as dressing
as a Jackson Pollock abstract painting. The designs all show marvelous
creativity and shows what you can do with a little imagination.
How about making an English Judge's wig out of rolls of bathroom
tissue, or a Geisha Girl costume made with old bed sheets. The
costumes are all aimed at adults and the materials list reflects
making these for an adult wearer, as opposed to children.
There's a nice section on creating
medieval weaponry on stuff cheaply found at a hardware or home
improvement store. One of my favorite items in the book was a
Medusa's wig that looks just spectacular. Get yourself some cheap
rubber snakes from the local dollar store, a swim cap, and a few
other ingredients and you've got a very unique and terrifying
accessory to a costume or outdoor display. There are also a variety
of other wigs, capes, hands, and feet that can be made. The decorating
section is a bit sparse but contains some nice information on
pumpkin carving, decorating alternatives, and making such items
as voodoo and hex dolls.
Finally, there is some great tips
on throwing themed Halloween parties such as a New Orleans Voodoo
Cocktail party or a Day of the Dead dinner party, both with invitations,
décor, libations and food, all matching the theme. While
it may be a tame for some peoples tastes, "Halloween: A Grown-Up's
Guide to Creative Costumes, Devilish Decor & Fabulous Festivities"
is still a great book with many interesting and imaginative ideas.
The wonderful color photography is among the best I have ever
seen in a book of this type.
My opinions are divided about this book. I give it five stars
for the assortment highly original, great-looking, easy costumes.
The styrofoam hooves and horns were great ideas, the bug costumes
actually looked pretty good, and so on. I especially loved the
Monet costume, which was of watery blue cloth and bedecked in
water-lilies, with a garden bridge on the hat. Many of the costumes
and decorations are very artistic. Even some of the no-sew costumes
made me say "Oooh, cool!"
I give it one star for the several
infuriatingly innaccurate Asian-inspired costumes and decor. The
"samurai" armor was just a joke and perhaps could be
said to have its own peculiar charm, and the Yuki Ona costume
(which is supposed to be spelled Yuki Onna, it's pronounced differently)
was quirky and didn't look even remotely Japanese or even Asian
(actually, it looked like the Snow Queen) and the bedsheet kimono
was actually pretty good and began to look authentic in comparison
to the other things, but when it had flat paper masks from the
"Kabuki, or CHINESE opera"...! Ooh, that makes me SO
MAD! Aargh! If they'd just stopped at one horribly innaccurate
Japanese costume, I would have shrugged and skipped over it, but
when they kept doing it, one after another... grr. It's not racist,
just not researched enough.
Something similar happens when it
talks about using a voodoo-doll motif for a Halloween party. It
then tells you a bit about the religions of Vodoun and Santeria,
from which the "voodoo dolls" come. This raises the
question of why it's using very serious religious symbols as fun
party decor.
The book has historical information
about Halloween, monsters, and other cultural things. For example,
after the instructions for the Green Man costume, it has two pages
telling what is known (and not known) about the Green Man's history.
With the fairy costume, it tells about different kinds of fairies,
and how some kinds of fairies are more dangerous than cute.
However, after having seen how innaccurate
this book was when it came to Japan, I'm highly suspicious of
its educational value and authenticity in other areas of history
and culture. It's clear the book *tried,* since it does at least
include historical information for everything it can, but I'm
not going to use it as history reference. Enjoy, but take with
a grain of salt.
The section about the Mexican Day
of the Dead seems considerably more accurate than the others,
and fairly true to the spirit of that holiday and culture, but
I still feel a bit suspicious about its authenticity.
Sorry if I seem grouchy about the
book- I really did enjoy its originality of design. It's a relieving
change of pace from the "country charm" Halloween craft
books where you've seen everything before. None of those hokey
books had scarecrows like the one in this book, which is a terrifying
art statue with broken garden implements for claws, a faceless
pumpkin head,and a metal wire body wrapped in dead vines! That's
probably the scariest thing in the whole book, and genuinely scary
at that. Not all of the things in it try to be adult or scary,
mind you; there's plenty of light-hearted Halloween silliness
too. I am going to have to try some of the things in here!
The book title caught my attention as the word "Grown Up"
jumped out at me. I am big fan of everything Halloween so I had
to have this book. I should have borrowed it at the library first!
I read other reviews on Amazon.com about how wonderful this book
was so I purchased it solely based on the reviews.
DON'T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER:
The cover threw me off. It had pictures
of a paper mache skull with horns, a pumpkin with star holes,
floating candles in a bucket filled with flowers and mini pumpkins
and a picture of hand-made crepe paper witch hats on the front
door. I was thinking: all right! A cool book on how to decorate
and cool crafts to make!
What they should have put on the front
page was a picture of a man in spider costume, a picture of a
woman in a poodle outfit, a picture of a man wearing a bird beak..you
get the picture.
COSTUME 101
The first 107 pages out of 173 pages
were all about costumes only. Here's a sampling: black spider,
poodle, bees, really ugly paint spattered thing...
The good thing about this book - you
can make most of the costumes listed here because they are items
that are readily available.
The bad thing about this book - it
really shows.
Many of the costumes just require
you to take your old dress/shirt/gown and throw paint all over
it or sew a few things on it here and there. There was even an
outfit called "Dancing Queen" and can you guess what
you are supposed to do? Slap used CD's all over yourself. You
are supposed to look like a dancing queen...isn't that what being
covered in CD's is all about?
The Queen bee outfit looks...anemic.
I thought bees were supposed to be fat. In this case the Queen
bee stands in skin tight clothing with what looks like black chicken
wire around her waist (I think its supposed to be black netting).
The "Mother Nature and Green
Man" costume I find hilarious. Just looking at the picture
you'd think they were hippies covered in vegetation and/or mossy
stuff. On the next page there is an entire page on "Who is
The Green Man?" I figure if you have to go around explaining
who the heck you are it takes the fun out of it after the 500th
time. "No...I'm NOT the moss man or the hippy man covered
in vegetation...I am the Green Man (insert expletives and other
cuss words here)...!"
I must admit there are a few neat
outfits: the shimmery mermaid outfit, the gladiator and the bedsheet
geisha, but not much else going for it. For every one male costume
there are about 3 or 4 women's costumes (mainly old dresses with
things sewn onto them).
The second part of the costumes section
take you step-by-step on how to make things like birds beaks,
hairy legs (I am not making this up), thundering hooves, walrus
tusks (WALRUS? where's the matching costume for this tusk?). There's
one page on how to make an outfit for your dog.
The third part of the costume section
teaches you how to paint your face (3 pages of really boring stuff),
how to make a hat, how to make paper bags LOOK like a face. Are
you sleeping yet? The only thing remotely fresh that I saw in
this section was the medusa wig. You get a bunch of plastic snakes
and pin it to your swim cap covered in black tulle.
FINALLY...THE DECOR SECTION:
The first ten pages in this section
covers pumpking carving basics, how to add a "nose"
to a pumpkin simply by turning it over so the stem acts like a
nose, how to make a pumpkin look like a "bushy head"
by sticking twigs and leaves out of its head, how to carve squares
into a pumpkin to make it look geometric, how to....urgh.
The next five pages are all about
making dolls. Voodoo dolls, corn "dollys" and hex dolls
which are nothing more than twigs hanging eerily off some dead
branches. Phhhhfft.
Then..get this...another craft article
on how to make a GIANT 6 FOOT SPIDER! That's right...in your very
own back yard! How did the craft section go from tying together
twigs and corn to make faceless dolls to a gigantic, humongous,
insanely huge spider? I take that back, the spider is 6 feet in
diameter, which means its actually bigger.
FOOD SECTION:
There are differently themed parties
throught this book: the New Orleans voodoo cocktail party, the
Day of the Dead dinner party and the Masked Ball party. Not many
recipes. Just a lot of nice pretty pictures, I do give this book
some credit!
MY RATING:
I give it a ho-hum bummed out "2"
on my scale of 1 (don't bother) to 6 (excellent).
Try Martha Stewart's Halloween for
better decorating ideas.
I am a fan of adult Halloween books - nothing cutesy or for the
kiddies. I bought this book thinking it would have equal amounts
of decor and costumes as I am the type of person that likes Martha
Stewart's Halloween decorating ideas. While this book is very
good, it is primarily costumes and masks. I would have liked to
see more decor. The first 108 pages out of 175 pages are costumes.
The remaining pages covers jack-o-lanterns, decorating with candles,
a few recipes, etc. Nothing new or spectacular. Great if you like
to craft your own costumes...mediochre if you want new decor ideas
and crafting your own Halloween items.
Maybe it's because I'm not a seamstress, or even a casual sewer,
but I don't understand the objections of an earlier review. It's
hard to believe we're talking about the same book! Yes, there
is a costume using duct tape, but throughout the book I found
many new, very original and creative ideas that I will be able
to use for my annual Halloween extravaganza. I have read dozens
and dozens of books on Halloween costumes, crafts, and decorating,
and never been quite so inspired. As a Halloween afficionado,
I recommend it highly!
Halloween : A Grown-Up's Guide to Creative Costumes, Devilish
Decor & Fabulous Festivities
Reviews
Finally, here's a Halloween book that's
definitely for adults. It's brimming with practical and inventive
ideas for parties, decorations, and costumes, and with an amazingly
atmospheric design that's a luscious treat for grown-up eyes.
Take the dread out of a costume party with creative and playful
ways to dress for success on All Hallow's Eve; there are even
actual costume elements to use, from wings and tails to masks
and hats. You'll find ways to repurpose items right out of your
own closet or benefit from a quick trip to the thrift shop. Unique
make-up tips for a ghoulishly great appearance will complete the
effect. An elegant "Pumpkin Primer" supplies projects to enhance
the holiday spirit, including menacing hex dolls and simple, spooky
candlescapes. Finally, a selection of theme party ideas, from
Day o' the Dead to a Masked Ball, will make for a Happy Halloween.
After all: why should kids have all the fun?
bug costumes actually looked pretty good, and so on. I especially
loved the Monet costume, which was of watery blue cloth and bedecked
in water-lilies, with a garden bridge on the hat. Many of the
costumes and decorations are very artistic. Even some of the no-sew
costumes made me say "Oooh, cool!"
I give it one star for the several
infuriatingly innaccurate Asian-inspired costumes and decor. The
"samurai" armor was just a joke and perhaps could be said to have
its own peculiar charm, and the Yuki Ona costume (which is supposed
to be spelled Yuki Onna, it's pronounced differently) was quirky
and didn't look even remotely Japanese or even Asian (actually,
it looked like the Snow Queen) and the bedsheet kimono was actually
pretty good and began to look authentic in comparison to the other
things, but when it had flat paper masks from the "Kabuki, or
CHINESE opera"...! Ooh, that makes me SO MAD! Aargh! If they'd
just stopped at one horribly innaccurate Japanese costume, I would
have shrugged and skipped over it, but when they kept doing it,
one after another... grr. It's not racist, just not researched
enough.
Something similar happens when it
talks about using a voodoo-doll motif for a Halloween party. It
then tells you a bit about the religions of Vodoun and Santeria,
from which the "voodoo dolls" come. This raises the question of
why it's using very serious religious symbols as fun party decor.
The book has historical information
about Halloween, monsters, and other cultural things. For example,
after the instructions for the Green Man costume, it has two pages
telling what is known (and not known) about the Green Man's history.
With the fairy costume, it tells about different kinds of fairies,
and how some kinds of fairies are more dangerous than cute.
However, after having seen how innaccurate
this book was when it came to Japan, I'm highly suspicious of
its educational value and authenticity in other areas of history
and culture. It's clear the book *tried,* since it does at least
include historical information for everything it can, but I'm
not going to use it as history reference. Enjoy, but take with
a grain of salt.
The section about the Mexican Day
of the Dead seems considerably more accurate than the others,
and fairly true to the spirit of that holiday and culture, but
I still feel a bit suspicious about its authenticity.
Sorry
if I seem grouchy about the book- I really did enjoy its originality
of design. It's a relieving change of pace from the "country charm"
Halloween craft books where you've seen everything before. None
of those hokey books had scarecrows like the one in this book,
which is a terrifying art statue with broken garden implements
for claws, a faceless pumpkin head,and a metal wire body wrapped
in dead vines! That's probably the scariest thing in the whole
book, and genuinely scary at that. Not all of the things
in it try to be adult or scary, mind you; there's plenty of light-hearted
Halloween silliness too. I am going to have to try some of the
things in here!
The book title caught my attention as the word "Grown Up" jumped
out at me. I am big fan of everything Halloween so I had to have
this book. I should have borrowed it at the library first! I read
other reviews on Amazon.com about how wonderful this book was
so I purchased it solely based on the reviews.
DON'T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER:
The cover threw me off. It had pictures
of a paper mache skull with horns, a pumpkin with star holes,
floating candles in a bucket filled with flowers and mini pumpkins
and a picture of hand-made crepe paper witch hats on the front
door. I was thinking: all right! A cool book on how to decorate
and cool crafts to make!
What they should have put on the front
page was a picture of a man in spider costume, a picture of a
woman in a poodle outfit, a picture of a man wearing a bird beak..you
get the picture.
COSTUME 101
The first 107 pages out of 173 pages
were all about costumes only. Here's a sampling: black spider,
poodle, bees, really ugly paint spattered thing...
The good thing about this book - you
can make most of the costumes listed here because they are items
that are readily available.
The bad thing about this book - it
really shows.
Many of the costumes just require
you to take your old dress/shirt/gown and throw paint all over
it or sew a few things on it here and there. There was even an
outfit called "Dancing Queen" and can you guess what you are supposed
to do? Slap used CD's all over yourself. You are supposed to look
like a dancing queen...isn't that what being covered in CD's is
all about?
The Queen bee outfit looks...anemic.
I thought bees were supposed to be fat. In this case the Queen
bee stands in skin tight clothing with what looks like black chicken
wire around her waist (I think its supposed to be black netting).
The "Mother Nature and Green Man"
costume I find hilarious. Just looking at the picture you'd think
they were hippies covered in vegetation and/or mossy stuff. On
the next page there is an entire page on "Who is The Green Man?"
I figure if you have to go around explaining who the heck you
are it takes the fun out of it after the 500th time. "No...I'm
NOT the moss man or the hippy man covered in vegetation...I am
the Green Man (insert expletives and other cuss words here)...!"
I must admit there are a few neat
outfits: the shimmery mermaid outfit, the gladiator and the bedsheet
geisha, but not much else going for it. For every one male costume
there are about 3 or 4 women's costumes (mainly old dresses with
things sewn onto them).
The second part of the costumes section
take you step-by-step on how to make things like birds beaks,
hairy legs (I am not making this up), thundering hooves, walrus
tusks (WALRUS? where's the matching costume for this tusk?). There's
one page on how to make an outfit for your dog.
The third part of the costume section
teaches you how to paint your face (3 pages of really boring stuff),
how to make a hat, how to make paper bags LOOK like a face. Are
you sleeping yet? The only thing remotely fresh that I saw in
this section was the medusa wig. You get a bunch of plastic snakes
and pin it to your swim cap covered in black tulle.
FINALLY...THE DECOR SECTION:
The first ten pages in this section
covers pumpking carving basics, how to add a "nose" to a pumpkin
simply by turning it over so the stem acts like a nose, how to
make a pumpkin look like a "bushy head" by sticking twigs and
leaves out of its head, how to carve squares into a pumpkin to
make it look geometric, how to....urgh.
The next five pages are all about
making dolls. Voodoo dolls, corn "dollys" and hex dolls which
are nothing more than twigs hanging eerily off some dead branches.
Phhhhfft.
Then..get this...another craft article
on how to make a GIANT 6 FOOT SPIDER! That's right...in your very
own back yard! How did the craft section go from tying together
twigs and corn to make faceless dolls to a gigantic, humongous,
insanely huge spider? I take that back, the spider is 6 feet in
diameter, which means its actually bigger.
FOOD SECTION:
There are differently themed parties
throught this book: the New Orleans voodoo cocktail party, the
Day of the Dead dinner party and the Masked Ball party. Not many
recipes. Just a lot of nice pretty pictures, I do give this book
some credit!
Review: I am a fan of adult Halloween books -
nothing cutesy or for the kiddies. I bought this book thinking
it would have equal amounts of decor and costumes as I am the
type of person that likes Martha Stewart's Halloween decorating
ideas. While this book is very good, it is primarily costumes
and masks. I would have liked to see more decor. The first 108
pages out of 175 pages are costumes. The remaining pages covers
jack-o-lanterns, decorating with candles, a few recipes, etc.
Nothing new or spectacular. Great if you like to craft your own
costumes...mediochre if you want new decor ideas and crafting
your own Halloween items.
Maybe it's because I'm not a seamstress, or even a casual sewer,
but I don't understand the objections of an earlier review. It's
hard to believe we're talking about the same book! Yes, there
is a costume using duct tape, but throughout the book I found
many new, very original and creative ideas that I will be able
to use for my annual Halloween extravaganza. I have read dozens
and dozens of books on Halloween costumes, crafts, and decorating,
and never been quite so inspired. As a Halloween afficionado,
I recommend it highly!
So many times you see these books on line and wonder if they have
enough good ideas to make it worth the purchase price. In my humble
opinion this book at 172 pages, is worth the purchase price. Great
costume ideas including making wonderful fairy wings using a laminator
machine. Horns, hooves, and other accessories you don't often
see are described with nice pictures. One section is devoted to
hats, wigs, and make-up and includes a Medusa Wig! Pet costumes
are also included in this book! The decor section has some truly
original ideas along with the traditional hex dolls, corn dolly's,
and a giant spider. The table top Victorian graveyard was my favorite!
The last section is devoted to theme parties with a Day of the
Dead dinner party and Voodoo cocktail party. Handy copyright free
images are also provided to make decorations.
Block Parties & Poker Nights : Recipes and Ideas for
Getting and Staying Connected with Your Neighbors (Paperback)
From Library Journal
Although there are other titles on potluck dinners, backyard barbecues,
and similar themes, Allen's clever book is likely to strike a
chord with many readers seeking "connection" in these
often anxious times. She does include the block parties and poker
nights of the title, but she goes beyond such occasions, starting
with a section on "Breaking the Ice," which includes
suggestions on how to welcome a new neighbor or how to meet the
neighbors if you're new (or not so new), and finishing with "Good
Times and Bad," which includes ideas and comfort food for
"the tough times," ways to resolve a conflict with a
neighbor or deal with other such crises, and more. The recipes
are fairly standard-there are many old favorites here-but they
are usually simple and many of them are easy to make for a crowd.
Recommended for most collections.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Book Description
Across the country, folks are rediscovering potluck parties, progressive
dinners, and other neighborhood gatherings as a way to forge bonds
that endure long after the last dish is cleared away. From small,
adults-only get-togethers to neighborhood extravaganzas, Block
Parties and Poker Nights has dozens of creative ideas, for fun,
fulfilling community events and the tried-and-true dishes that
make them so memorable.
* Recipes for soup buffets, salad
bars, and backyard barbecues *
* Welcome baskets for new neighbors and homemade treats to share
*
* Tips on foods that travel well *
* Ways to support families in times of need with reheatable comfort
food *
* Celebrations for all seasons, from Fourth of July bashes to
Kentucky Derby parties*
* Suggestions for starting treasured holiday traditions like caroling
parties and cookie exchanges *
* And, everything you need to know to throw a blow-out block party
with all the trimmings *
Review
From School Library Journal
-An artful arrangement of ingredients aided by imaginative titles
transforms ordinary food into disgusting treats such as, "Pus
Pockets" (pita stuffed with cheese, baked, slit, and squeezed)
and "Worms au Gratin" (spaghetti and noodles). While
some children will only browse through the book to exclaim at
the yucky fare, those who try the recipes will find that they
contain sensible advice, beginning with safety tips, cooking terms,
measurements, and clean-up hints. Instructions are clearly written
and list needed tools. The advice, "with an adult's help"
is given whenever cooking, baking, or the use of a sharp knife
is required. Burke's pen-and-ink cartoons are essential for their
humorous portrayal of monsters and ugly characters and because
arrangement of food is so critical for gruesome effect. Even so,
some imagination may be needed to see the werewolf in the Waldorf
Salad or Brussels sprouts as gorilla tonsils. The food itself
is mostly healthful, with fruits and vegetables featured as prominent
ingredients. Food coloring is used in some recipes and stuffed
olives (eyeballs) appear more than once. Some titles may be over
readers' heads, but the serving suggestions (e.g., crumpled facial
tissues with the "Phlegm Brulee) will help them understand.
Filled with clever ideas, this is an excellent choice for those
who are looking for something creepy but fun.
"Filled with clever ideas, this is an excellent choice for
those who are lookin for something creepy but fun."--School
Library Journal.
was disappointed with this book.Its a wonderful idea to make a
book like this but most of the recipes are not something that
my family & i would use.The titles of the recipes are great,gnarled
witch fingers,tongues on toast,brains on the half skull,etc.This
book just needs some better recipes.
I used this book for an adult business
halloween party. they all acted like kids grossing out at each
item (yet eating them ALL and asking for more). I only made a
few items last year to see their reaction and couldn't believe
how they devoured them and started searching my refrigerator for
more! this year i'll be adding many more of these recipes to my
menu.
If you can get past the names of the dishes (and your imagination
doesn't go into overdrive), you will love this book! The instructions
are simple, and there are plenty of opportunities to teach kids
about good kitchen technique. This book belongs in every parent's
collection.
Fall and Halloween Activity Book for Families
Book Description
The "Fall and Halloween Activity Book for Families"
contains over 600 ideas for family fall celebrations. Activities
are designed for children and are very family oriented, not macabre
or overly frightening. If you are planning a Halloween party,
this book will walk you through everything from invitations and
decorations to table settings, foods to serve and games to play.
There is a completely illustrated section with Halloween crafts
and activities for children; pages of designs and interesting
adaptations for carving and decorating pumpkins; and an area filled
with ideas for Halloween costumes, masks and more. Complete recipes
are included for snacks, dinners, desserts and beverages with
flavors or themes that fit in with fall or Halloween. This book
has a section on other autumn celebrations including some from
different countries and cultures.
Things-to-do in the "Fall and Halloween Activity Book for
Families" use simple and inexpensive materials and most take
small or reasonable amounts of time to accomplish. Many things
are easy enough for toddlers and some require the skills of older
children. Adapt your choices to the abilities of children who
will be participating.
From the Publisher
You'll never run out of autumn or Halloween ideas for kids with
this book. It has over 600 ideas in a completely illustrated format
with easy-to-follow directions and recipes. Kids and adults can
have plenty of fun together with these activities.
In contrast to recent trends toward
frightening Halloween activities, the suggestions in this book
are very family related. The few slightly scary things included
are the types of things that create giggles instead of nightmares.
Mostly, you can use the ideas to make memories of good times together
and to help children develop skills in various crafts and to allow
their imaginations to get a work-out.
Halloween Parties : How to Throw Spook-Tacular Soirees
and Frighteningly Festive Entertainments (Paperback)
From Publishers Weekly
Photo stylist Hellander’s book of Halloween-themed entertainment
ideas shares recipes, decorating tips and invitation ideas for
six different spooky parties. The Tricks & Treats party is
pretty run of the mill, with its jack-o’-lantern goody bags, suggestions
for pumpkin carving and recipes for Cupcakes with Candy Surprise
Centers and Hot Red Wine with Cloves and Almonds. The rest of
the parties—Witches’ Brew; It’s a Mod, Mod World!; Hocus Pocus;
Haunted House; and That Old Devil Moon—basically offer variations
on the theme, with vaguely original ideas for party favors, place
settings and snacks. Many of the suggestions seem flimsy (e.g.,
covering a room’s walls with wrapping paper to create a festive
atmosphere) and don’t specifically apply to Halloween (e.g., party
favors like styrofoam balls wrapped in crepe paper with tiny charms
and fortunes stored inside; or recipes such as Breadsticks with
Prosciutto and Robiola). But first-time hosts who haven’t a clue
where to begin might glean something from this enthusiastic book.
96 photos.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Book Description
A boring Halloween party? The horror! Millions of Americans live
to be scared silly, and for them October 31 marks the beginning
of the holiday season: a reason to dress and act outrageously.
This hip, photograph-filled paperback, packed with recipes and
crafts, makes entertaining on Allhallows' Eve terrifyingly easy.
From a frightful dinner for four to a full-out, monster-mashing
Haunted Mansion, Lori Hellander concocts six parties guaranteed
to make guests scream in delight. The Hocus Pocus Potion Party
highlights eerie elegance, while Tricks and Treats taps into Halloween
nostalgia.
Like a skilled carver attacking a
pumpkin, Hellander chops up each themed party into manageable
chunks: invitations; shopping and scheduling; decor and costumes;
food and drink; games for all ages. But aspiring fete-ishists
need not have tons of time or an armory of glue guns to get the
parties going: there are plenty of quick and simple-to-execute
ideas, plus useful tips for impromptu entertaining. AUTHOR BIO:
LORI HELLANDER lives in New York City, but her work as a photo
stylist takes her to many places on the map. She is a regular
contributor to Country Living, Bon Appétit, and Mary Engelbreit's
Home Companion, among other national publications, and has made
several guest appearances on HGTV's Country Style and the Discovery
Channel's Surprise by Design.
BILL MILNE is a photographer and image-maker
who has contributed to Gourmet, Wine Spectator, Time, People,
and many other publications.
Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night (Hardcover)
From Publishers Weekly
If America is a melting pot, then Halloween is the stew that simmers
in our national cauldron. In this fascinating study, Rogers shows
how the holiday is a hodgepodge of ancient European pagan traditions,
19th-century Irish and Scottish celebrations, Western Christian
interpretations of All Souls' Day and thoroughly modern American
consumer ideals. At its heart, he says, Halloween is a celebration
of the inversion of social codes-children have power over adults,
marauders can make demands of established homeowners and anyone
may assume a temporary disguise. Canadian professor Rogers is
a fine cultural historian, who carefully sifts through complex
social and religious data to tease out meanings and trajectories.
One excellent chapter illuminates Halloween and Hollywood, while
a chapter entitled Border Crossings discusses Halloween observance
among non-Anglo populations in North America, including Mexico's
"Dia de los Muertos." Rogers's is the best study to
date of the history and growing significance of Halloween.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Book Description
Boasting a rich, complex history rooted in Celtic and Christian
ritual, Halloween has evolved from ethnic celebration to a blend
of street festival, fright night, and vast commercial enterprise.
In this colorful history, Nicholas Rogers takes a lively, entertaining
look at the cultural origins and development of one of the most
popular holidays of the year. Drawing on a fascinating array of
sources, from classical history to Hollywood films, Rogers traces
Halloween as it emerged from the Celtic festival of Samhain (summer's
end), picked up elements of the Christian Hallowtide (All Saint's
Day and All Soul's Day), arrived in North America as an Irish
and Scottish festival, and evolved into an unofficial but large-scale
holiday by the early 20th century. He examines the 1970s and '80s
phenomena of Halloween sadism (razor blades in apples) and inner-city
violence (arson in Detroit), as well as the immense influence
of the horror film genre on the reinvention of Halloween as a
terror-fest. Throughout his vivid account, Rogers shows how Halloween
remains, at its core, a night of inversion, when social norms
are turned upside down, and a temporary freedom of expression
reigns supreme. He examines how this very license has prompted
censure by the religious Right, occasional outrage from law enforcement
officials, and appropriation by Left-leaning political groups.
Engagingly written and based on extensive research, Halloween
is the definitive history of the most bewitching day of the year,
illuminating the intricate history and shifting cultural forces
behind this enduring trick-or-treat holiday.
Review: A serious cultural history of Halloween
Single-subject histories on the likes of salt, codfish and even
the color red have become a fashionable lately, and this book
is a fine specimen of the genre. It traces the history of the
celebration of October 31 from Samhain, the year cycle rite observed
by the pagan Celts in Britain, to the many ways it is marked in
North America at the time of the new millennium. His central thesis,
supported by myriad examples and illustrations, is that Halloween
has always been a liminal time, a boundary between autumn and
winter, this world and the other world, life and death. Drawing
from the theory of anthropologist Victor Turner, he argues that
liminal times are also periods of ritual inversion in which the
obverse of cultural values, however they are construed, are temporarily
allowed to emerge into public consciousness and celebrated before
being relegated once again to the cultural closet. Whether these
oppositional symbols are spiritual otherworlds, as they were for
the ancient Celts, or consist instead of what is disavowed by
the dominant cultural paradigm, Halloween provides a framework
during which they can be publicly explored and performed. This
central feature of Halloween, more than any individual rite or
symbol, constitutes the core of the holiday that has endured for
over a thousand years.
Rogers begins by examining the practices of the ancient Celts,
for whom Samhain was a year cycle rite that marked the passage
from autumn into winter, a time out of time when the boundaries
between the world of humans and that of otherworldly creatures
- be they ancestors, deities or other kinds of spirits - were
thought to be thin, and the "reverse world" was allowed
to briefly overlap with the everyday world. Carrying this metaphor
forward into history, Rogers shows how Halloween's supernatural
connotations continued in medieval and early modern festivities
associated with All Saints' and All Souls' Days, from which we
get many of the rituals still associated with the holiday today,
including jack-o'-lanterns, pranking behavior and petty vandalism.
He traces the migration of these customs to the New World with
two groups of immigrants: English Catholics and liberal Protestants
(the Puritans disdained the observance as too popish), and the
Irish.
Rogers really shines in describing the growth of Halloween in
New World soil. He addresses the development of trick-or-treating
in the 20th century not only as a form of social inversion in
which children demand candy from strangers, in a reversal of the
usual cautions, but as a rite that prepared children to become
consumers of sweets and other paraphernalia associated with the
holiday, such as costumes and decorations. But the dangers of
the otherworld could not be tamed by conspicuous consumption;
they re-emerged in the 1960s and 70s as fear of contaminated treats
- the infamous razor blade in the apple. The very symbol of harvest
home, the fruit of the Celtic otherworld, the Isle of Apples,
was transformed into an instrument of danger - not, this time,
from otherworldly beings, but from other human beings. Human beings
similarly were the source of other Halloween dangers, such as
the arson and vandalism of "Devil's Night" in Detroit
and other North American cities. Meantime, Hollywood horror films
picked up Halloween's association with the supernatural, darkness,
death and decay, often weaving in themes associated with contemporary
legends and rumor panics. The resulting mix blurred the lines
between reality and the imaginary in a way that was new in the
history of Halloween, emphasizing gory hyperrealism over the spiritual
or supernatural frights that predominated in earlier centuries.
At the same time that parents began to be afraid of allowing children
to trick-or-treat on Halloween for fear of candy contamination
and crime, Halloween emerged as a party night for adults, when
those who had enjoyed costuming and rites of reversal as children
wanted to experience them in a new, grown-up context. It reached
its apotheosis in street parades of large North American cities
such as Toronto, New York and Los Angeles, where it has become
an occasion for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered communities
to publicly celebrate identities usually relegated to the margins
of society by the dominant culture. As in much of Halloween behavior,
this is done through play, humor and parody, hallmarks of symbolic
inversion at the core of Halloween. Rogers also treats the holiday's
globalization: both the spread throughout North America of the
analogous Mexican holiday El Día de los Muertos on the
heels of Latino immigration, and the global diffusion of the commercialized
Halloween to Europe and other markets. He provocatively asks whether
the transformation of the holiday into a mass-marketed occasion
for conspicuous consumption will eventually trump its subversive
qualities, or whether individuals' creativity and sense of play
will ultimately reclaim Halloween as a site of contestation.
Regardless of the cultural changes this holiday undergoes, Halloween
seems to attract to it the oppositional and the carnivalesque.
No wonder, then, that is has become a popular target for the invectives
of conservative Christian ministers and their congregations, who
label it "Satanic" and call for its suppression. But
the suppression of culturally contested symbols never successfully
eliminates the ideas behind them. In fact, as Turner and French
cultural historian Michel Foucault argue, these oppositional images
are fertile ground for cultural renewal, and provide alternative
ways of envisioning reality: they are cultural countersites where
social mores and pretensions can be mocked, parodied, and lampooned
with impunity, and an alternative universe can temporarily be
imagined.
Rogers does not address at any length the reclamation of Halloween
by Neopagan groups in Europe and North America - a pity, because
this trend fits well with his overarching theoretical approach.
And he seems ignorant of the considerable work done on the holiday
by American folklorists. Still, this excellent book will appeal
to a wide range of readers. It reads fluidly and easily, is theoretically
well-informed without being jargon-ridden or using theory as a
bludgeon, and could easily be adopted for use in large undergraduate
courses on cultural history, folkloristics and anthropology.
Review: Oops, wrong kind of
book
I can honestly say that I have almost always finished reading
a book that I start. This is the exception.
It's my fault, really. I was looking
for a book that would discuss the origins and development of Halloween.
I had in mind the sort that would discuss Charlie Brown and The
Great Pumpkin and other Americana. You know, a nostalgic trip
down Memory Lane in rural/suburban America.
Oops.
This is actually an academic treatise
where the author wants to discuss social inversion, gender identity,
and queer politics. No offense to the author, but most people
don't regularly use the term "social inversion", let
alone bring it up constantly in conversation. If you are a cultural
transgressor looking to be affirmed in your okayness, this is
perhaps a good book for you. I was looking to be affirmed in my
nostalgia, so I am out of luck.
(Normally I don't review books down
because I disagree with the author; however, I feel that this
is marketed deceptively. Normal people don't talk like this guy
writes, so I can only imagine that he is one of those people that
must rework every concept to fit his sociological theories. Or
maybe I'm just a jerk - you decide).
Halloween: An American
Holiday, an American History (Paperback)
Review:
This is an awesome book if you are looking for the whole history
behind halloween and how it became an american holiday.This book
is not for someone who is looking for a holiday read,but rather
for someone who really wants to know the history behind this greatest
of all holidays.I learned things about halloween that i never
knew before,and being a real halloween nut, I thought i knew alot.You
will learn the whole history behind halloween with this book,I
enjoyed it greatly.
Bannatyne's book on Halloween is the best. Well-researched, absolutely
packed with information and nuggets of fascinating lore on every
page, yet the author eschews dry academic prose - it's like listening
to an erudite friend explain his/her area of expertise. I highly
recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about such
an interesting holiday. You really couldn't find a better, more
comprehensive Halloween resource.
Although Bannatyne's history of Halloween contains useful material,
especially covering the recent past, her work is marred by serious
errors, mostly the result, I suspect, of an uncritical reading
of her sources. She suggests, for example, that there was an actual
cult of witches in the middle ages, a cult somehow linked to the
druids, which is simply not true. A glance through her inadequate
notes reveals good modern sources for folklore set side by side
with works now hopelessly out of date. Bannatyne also consistently
makes connections between Halloween and other folk traditions
that are in no way supported by the evidence she presents. This
may be, as a spokesman for the history channel suggests, "the
best book on the history of halloween available today," but
readers should be warned not to put too much stock in this endorsement.
This is a great book to get if you want to know more about Halloween.
Not just the typical stuff, although that's there too, but where
it came from and how poeple have been celebrating it for years.
It's fun to read and has great information in it. I'm going to
use it with my class so they know more about why we celebrate
Halloween.
I was extremely pleased with this book. Not only does it chronologically
relate the history of Halloween, but it also describes the cultural
contexts of its evolution. This book is not only well researched,
but offers a very readable and entertaining look at the folklore
associated with Halloween. My only criticism is the poor editing
by the publisher or reviewers. Unfortunately, this book is replete
with "typos," and I found one entire paragraph repeated
on consecutive pages. This becomes annoying after awhile. However,
the content and writing style are so good, don't let the editing
stop you from buying it. Actually, I wish it were available hardcopy.
As someone who has always loved Halloween, this book is a must
have. After seeing, "The Haunted History of Halloween"
on the History Channel, I went out and bought this book. It is
by far the best book I have found that tells the whole history
behind the holiday that we celebrate every October 31. From the
ancient festivities of Samhain to the parties thrown by Victorians
to parades in the 30's and 40's, this book explores the significance
behind this holiday. Why do we trick or treat and dress up? Why
are ghosts, witches, black cats, and devils associated with this
holiday. This book answers these questions and a lot more.
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