Blizzard Update

The DC area welcomes a few inches of snow each winter. When Mother Nature drops 18 inches of the white stuff in under 24 hours, apparently we call that a blizzard in this area. I grew up in Connecticut but learned how to drive here, so I'm entitled to call us DCists winter wimps. What do we do when a "blizzard" strikes? Prep the roads? No. Have the plows on stand-by? No. We watch the shower of flurries, in childlike awe, from our cozy living rooms while sipping creamy hot chocolate and listening to carols. Basically, we step into a Christmas card.

It is Sunday afternoon as I write this post and there are plenty of kids sledding down the streets but no plows in sight or within earshot. Sure, the deadline for 12/24 delivery with standard shipping has long passed, but we were hoping to be able to ship out tomorrow items eligible for regular (USPS) expedited shipping. There is still hope, but we just don't know what the roads will look like or if USPS will be picking up tomorrow.

. . :: . .SHIPPING UPDATE & PROMO. . :: . .
If you need your USPS-eligible order delivered to a DC area address before 12/25, it should still arrive by then if you order by noon tomorrow, 12/21. To improve those chances, place the order with (USPS) 2-3 day expedited shipping. To sweeten the situation, we will deduct shipping cost on orders with product totals of $55 and above when we charge your card if you type promo code "blizzard09" in the message box above the green button at checkout. Be sure to read the general holiday shipping notice.**

View from front of our house. There were houses just beyond these woods!

 

Boughs-a-breaking in our backyard. 18" on that table. That's our ancient grill in the center. We officially can call its time of death. See the path on the right? We had to dig it so our dog, Simon, could find his way to his outhouse.


The black blur is Simon, snow-loving dog.


Why shovel when you can make snow angels?!

**Offer valid online only December 20, 2009, at 12 a.m. ET through December 21, 2009, at 12:00 p.m. ET. Free shipping valid on standard and USPS 2-3 day shipping only anywhere in the US. Additional shipping charges will apply for items not eligible for USPS 2-3 day shipping but placed with expedited shipping (items that ship only via FedEx/UPS, including furniture, diaper bags, jewelry marked as shipping out in up to 10 days). Final Sale Items: eligible for free standard shipping only. Not valid for cash or cash equivalent. No adjustments on previous purchases.

Favorite Halloween Ideas: Indoors

Jack-o-Lantern Candles
*tip: These slipcovers for pillar candle holders look great flickering along a mantle or staring out of windows. Crafting these spooky faces is time consuming, but you can reuse them for future Halloweens if you handle them carefully.



Levitating Trick-or-Treat Table
What a fabulous way to make an impression on your trick-or-treaters!

Bat Silhouettes & Unidentified Shadow

*tip: For maximum "bat cave" effect, use these silhouettes in a foyer or other tighter quarters. Use poster-board for reusability.











Gothic Curtains
*tip: We used these spooky curtains on a pass-through/transom type "window" framing the view into the next room. Best made with poster-board.





Paper Mice
*Although these mice silhouettes look extra creepy-crawly on a staircase, we had the shadow silhouette (above) on our stairs so we used the mice along our living room baseboards and over a few wall frames. You need a lot of mice, which makes this project time-consuming, so plan to get it done at your own "pre-Halloween" craft party. Best with poster-board.

Favorite Halloween Ideas: DIY Costumes

Have I mentioned lately how much I love Costuming? I'm in costume as I write this entry. Guess which one I'm wearing:

The Raven (no sew)
An homage to Edgar Allen Poe's famous creepy poem.
*tip: Buy a black-feather boa and clip individual feathers for headpiece, wrist cuffs, and tail following Martha's instructions. Best to glue beak to a plain, black store-bought mask, otherwise it's too uncomfortable. The black tulle is important to give the bustle volume so don't skimp on materials!

Tulle Ghost (no sew)
Can you imagine seeing someone in this get-up on a moonlit, foggy Halloween night? Get me some Depends.
*tip: Try to find the wider 108" tulle for easier, wider coverage and better effect.

Spiderweb Mother & Baby Spider
So cute! I really want to make a spider costume like this for my black lab. (Not attached to me! Too heavy.)

Classic Masked-Ball Masks

Even your notoriously party-pooper friends won't object to wearing these gorgeous masks to your Halloween party. The black one would pair perfectly with the Raven costume, wouldn't it?

*tip: use

Critters of Hallow's Eve

What I enjoyed most about trick-or-treating was dressing up. Sure, getting mini chocolate bars - the treats - was cool, but the magic was in transforming into a different character every year. The hard part was choosing among so many exciting options...wonderwoman, pirate girl, jellyfish, ballot box. It wasn't just about throwing on a generic costume. It was Costuming - coming up with the concept, having my mom sew the costume (I can't sew!), planning the makeup and accessories. As a kid, which was your favorite costume?

Speaking of accessories, we think these definitely help make kids' costumes not just memorable but award-winning! Which is your fav?

STAND-OUT HELMET COVERS
So. Much. Fun. There is no way kids will go unnoticed in these way too cute helmet covers. They don't have wait until Halloween to dress up; they can be all sorts of critters everyday before and after H day. We have pets, woodland critters, bugs, ocean life, zoo animals and fairytale characters. Grown-ups need not envy; we have some for you too!

GLOW IN THE DARK PEEPER SHOES
Vampires have returned with a vengeance, thanks to the Twilight phenomenon, True Blood and Vampire Diaries. These, however, are not so foreboding and neither are their co-conspirators (pumpkin, bat, ladybug, spider). The eyeballs glow in the dark! Talk about staying in character from head to toe!

TRICK-OR-TREAT BAGS IN DISGUISE
These cute bags moonlight on Halloween as candy-collecting bags that almost seem to talk, dance and run - bags with feet, tails, fins and beaks. Are you a farm animal this Halloween? Use the duckie or cow bag for trick-or-treating. Ocean animal? Go for dolphin or whale. Are you a Harry Potter character this year? Try the wizard or unicorn bag. The best part is that these plush, cuddly bags are reusable. After Halloween, they have an entirely different life as an overnight, sleepover bag. An eco-conscious, great buy.

GOLDEN EGG IS A NEST EGG
A prop with bling, this egg is a nice touch for fairytale, medieval and Harry Potter themes. Think dragon egg! After Halloween, use it as a coin bank.

Favorite Halloween Ideas: Outdoors

I can't get enough of the inventive ideas posted by creative people. I'm like a kid in a candy store when I'm online. Two of my favorite sites for crafty ideas - yes, these are classics - are MarthaStewart.com and BHG.com, especially for Halloween. My husband and I have attempted (successfully, too) to recreate many of the Halloween craft and recipe ideas on these sites. These are my favorite ideas for whimsical-gothic outdoor decor:
Blackened Jack O Lanterns
*tip: squirrel-proof if you paint faux, foam-pumpkins!








Luminary Warning
*tip: use battery-operated lights for fire safety








Witch's Curtain
*tip: don't discard - you can reuse for future Halloweens








Witch Window Silhouette
*tip: reusable - just use posterboard









Witch's Broom
*tip: use lots of dried grass, glue 2" below top tips to bottom of branch and tie with cord

Favorite Halloween Ideas I

I love holidays, because they give us an easy excuse to celebrate, to imagine, to play. After Christmas, my favorite holiday is Halloween because we get to play and be crafty (in a good way). Every year, we decorate the house inside and out, to the amusement of neighbors and trick-or-treaters alike.

Halloween has many styles: gory, gothic, cute, whimsical. Ours is more of a whimsical gothic or spooky whimsical style. We are not interested in staging murderous scenes, so there is no blood and gore in our decor. (Cheesey rhyme, I know.) There is not a single homage to axe murderers or evil spirits. Instead, we like to create a little mystery, a hint of an other-worldly something in the air, in itself an experience a little magical. We use suggestion - an approach more subtle and deliciously goose bump raising - through scent, sight and sound. Fog rolling across the lawn. A light flickering behind a window. Something filmy staring out into the night. Trees grimacing at the sights. Spooky music escaping from the house. The scent of roasting pumpkin seeds dancing in the air. Creepies and crawlies, silhouettes and dazzling pumpkins frolicking inside.

This month, I will share some of my favorite Halloween ideas from the web, starting with a glimpse of those we used at home.

graves: leaf piles, black-painted faux pumpkins with flickering battery-powered votives

dancing ghosts: shower-curtain liners pinned to half-circle styrofoam heads on wooden rods; light at center covered with orange cellophane (check heat safety first)

poster-board silhouette

poster-board silhouettes on painted canvas

DC: Arts & Crafts Weekend

If you are in town this weekend, you won't know what to do with yourself because there are just too many fun events to attend. It's a great complaint to have so get out there! A very brief sampling:

DANCE! DANCE! DANCE!

(DC) Modeled after the successful “Fall for Dance” festival in New York City, VelocityDC features world-class dance companies and artists presented in a fast-paced gala format, with dramatically reduced ticket prices. Saturday 7:30p and 10:00p.

INDIE CRAFTS FAIR

(DC) Handmade alternative arts and crafts from indie artists - pottery, furniture, etc. Crafty Bastards - Adams Morgan happens Saturday 10:00a-5:00p.

ART ON THE AVENUE

(Alexandria) Music, food, crafts, contests...a festival with neighborhood charm! Del Ray Art on the Avenue runs Saturday 10:00a-6:00p.

Friday Finds

REINVENTED CLASSIC

Map quilts! Heirloom blankets, quilted maps of cities and neighborhoods. One-of-a-kind, handcrafted and organic. Ingenious. Thanks to ApartmentTherapy for telling us about Emily Fischer's work.

  

THE GROWN-UP TREEHOUSE

I couldn't live without trees. There is nothing quite like the pattern of light and leaves when you look up through the boughs of woods, the soft rustling of leaves as the wind passes through, or their fiery autumn hues. My husband and I are very fortunate to have a few large picture windows facing trees and prefer nature-inspired decor. This great idea from the folks at MarthaStewart definitely give rooms the treehouse effect with a graphic, modern aesthetic. Let's just hope it's critter-free and has eco-friendly potential. The pooch better not get any funny ideas!

PIX OF PICKS

What is this prickly tuffet made of? Hint: no porcupines were harmed in the making of this object, although pigs in blankets are running for cover.

Answer: Toothpicks. Yes, clean ones. How does one not get a million tiny stab wounds crafting this cool frog? Thanks to DCDesign for this photo by Infinity Pix.

Tiny, Incredible Paper Sculptures

How? Just how does this artist create such tiny, precise pop-up figures in these unassuming tubes? Talk about patience and surgeon's precision. We love otherwise function-less creations full of wonder.

 

Thanks to Gugazine for telling us about Anastassia Elias' work.

Fun & Random

SONGBIRDS

A musician created a composition inspired by a feathered flock on phone wires when he noticed the birds were arranged like notes on a score. Listen to the lullabye below.

INGENIOUS FUN

Ah, an indoor slide is a joy forever. I want one. Makes you *want* to do laundry. So. Cool.

Thanks to the GoodStuffGuide. "The slide was part of the original build of this house. It took some pleading to get the slide company to see the slide for indoor use."

ANTWERP STATION TAKEOVER BY SONG

I tweeted about this earlier, but just had to post it here for full effect. So much fun!

200 people take over Antwerp Central Station to dance to DoReMi (Sound of Music):

Dogs in the House

We are definitely dog people. Kittens are cute and entertaining, but we have a sweet spot for puppies of all ages. The black pup, Simon, is ours. The golden pup, Dino (a girl, naturally), is Simon's cousin.

belly rub bribes

Please, sir, may I have some more?

"head, shoulders...

...knees and toes, knees and toes"

weeeeeeeeeee

Life is good.

best pal

photos 1-4 & 6-8 mine, 5 ©GaryVattelana