March 14th is Save a Spider Day!

Monday, October 31, 2011

Holiday Hits: The Halloween Home - Zombie-Proofing Your Home

From The Zombie Feed

Now that your eerie abode is decorated in fine Halloween style, you might want to consider how to keep it that way.  The last thing you want to worry about is a zombie infestation, and fortunately the folks at This Old House have your back on this one.  Just follow their suggestions and you should be just fine.  And should you wish to turn your spooky residence into a spook-free one, they have ideas for ghostbusting as well!  (Of course, if you and/or your family and friends are zombies or ghosts, just disregard this message entirely!)

From HGTV Front Door

Have a Happy Halloween!

From Always Halloween
 

Mysterious Mondays: W. W. Jacobs' "The Monkey's Paw"

From Etsy

The biggest mystery about W. W. Jacobs is why he is best remembered for his horror short story "The Monkey's Paw" when the vast majority of his writings were humorous tales!  William Wymark Jacobs was born in London, the son of a wharf manager.  He worked as a civil servant while slowly launching his writing career -- after 20 years he was able to leave his job, marry, and focus solely on his writing.  Most of his works, both novels and short stories, centered around the sea.  An arrangement to publish many of his tales serially in The Strand Magazine provided him and his family with lifetime financial security.  Although Jacobs wrote far fewer tales of the macabre, "The Monkey's Paw" is one of the best in the genre and a must-read for those with an interest in this sort of fiction.

You can read "The Monkey's Paw" here.  An audio version is available here, and you can also watch a YouTube video production.

This is the perfect Halloween tale, so enjoy, and happy Halloween!

From eBooks@Adelaide
 

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Holiday Hits: National Candy Corn Day

From Wikipedia

Today is National Candy Corn Day!  In addition to being a favorite Halloween candy, this confection is fun to use when decorating for the holiday:

From Your Decorating Hotline

From Erdexon

From Your Decorating Hotline

From Nap Time Creations

However you choose to use it, enjoy your candy corn on its special day!
   

Weekend Wonders: The Halloween Home - Decorating the Home

From Buycostumes.com

Tomorrow is Halloween, so how does one decorate the Halloween home for the holiday?  Take a look at some of these spaces for inspiration:

A spooky front entrance (from The Green Head)

A frightening foyer (from Good Housekeeping)

A horrifying staircase (from NY New Design)

A haunted living room (from Home Trend Design)

An eerie fireplace (from carimpreza.com)

An unnerving sitting room (from Your Decorating Hotline)

A scary dining room (from The Green Head)

A terrifying buffet (from roomzaar.com)

A funereal kitchen (from Fanpop!)

An unsettling master bedroom (from Time Out Chicago)

A creepy child's bedroom (from Jack Skellington Costumes)

Some chilling room details:

From Prêt-à-Fêter

From Just a Girl

With all of these examples to emulate, decorating for Halloween is frightfully easy!
   

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Weekend Wonders: The Halloween Home - Home Furnishings

From French Bird

Is it time to spruce up the interior of your eerie abode?  Perhaps all you need is some new furniture in the public spaces to bring that tired-looking haunt up to date!  There are a number of pieces available which are quite suitable for a "spook-tacular" look:


This Squiddy Table would look great in a foyer,


while the Squiddy End Tables are perfect for the living room.  Add a Coffin Couch or two,


topped with a few Blood Spatter Throw Pillows,


plus a Kersplat Coffee Table,


and your living room will be well on its way to becoming a frightfully comfortable area for any victims --  um, I mean guests!  Oh, and don't forget to include an Octopus Chair for that distinctively scary flair:


If your home has a den or sitting room, then a few of these Scorpion Chairs,


arranged around a tasteful Spider Table,


would be a great way to get the conversation (or the screaming!) started.

For entertaining, a stylish dining room is a must, and this Paint or Die But Love Me Table is an ideal choice:


Place a Chairnificine Arm Chair at each end,

(chair can be lifted off of blood spatter if needed)

and some Remember You Will Die Chairs along each side,


and your victims -- oops again, I mean guests -- will be dining in style, especially when you bring out your best Zombie Dinner Plates for the meal:


Just remember to invite the zombies themselves over on another night, unless you really do want the rest of your guests to be victims!

Add these scary home furnishings to your home and your place could soon become the talk of the town.  Beware of pesky neighbors carrying pitchforks and torches, though -- they are definitely not invited to view your revamped castle!

From Word Spy
    

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Foodie Fridays: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

From The Persnickety Palate

Perfect for Halloween, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins are also easy to make and delicious to eat.  They are sweet enough to serve as dessert, but since they are filled with healthy pumpkin and dark chocolate they can't be that bad for you, right?  Enjoy them without guilt, on Halloween or any other time of the year!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 2/3 C. flour
3/4 C. sugar
1 C. semisweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 C. butter, melted
1/4 C. milk
3/4 C. canned pumpkin purée
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Combine first six ingredients in a large bowl.  Blend remaining ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl, then add to the flour mixture.  Stir just until moistened.  Fill greased muffin cups two-thirds full with batter.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.  Makes 12.
   

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

This 'n That Thursdays: The Halloween Home - Home Accessories

From Kelly Lamb

A proper Halloween mansion must have all the right accessories, and fortunately they are not very difficult to find.  Appropriate lighting is a necessity, and the skull chandelier shown above would make a very impressive statement indeed!  If something like this is not within your budget, however, don't fret -- there are alternatives out there for everyone:

Table lamp from enPieza! Studio

Alien Abduction Lamp from Core77

Liquid Lamp from Coolest Gadgets

Noose Lamp from Petites Productions

Skull lamp shade from Alex Garnett

Add even more Halloween touches to your home with these delightfully creepy items:

Skull and Lightning mirror from American Reflections

"Hand-le" door knob from Coroflot

Drip Drop Clothes Hanger from Design for Use 

The Ex Voodoo Knife Set from Perpetual Kid

And set a spooky table the next time you entertain with these eerily elegant additions:

Skull Decanter Set from Charleston Gardens

Halloween Appetizer Plates from Williams-Sonoma

Porcelain plate from BoConcept
Porcelain cup from BoConcept

Everyone knows it's the little things that make a house a Halloween home, and with these scary accessories you can't go wrong!