So my favourite time of year (excepting that it heralds it getting a lot hotter here in the southern hemisphere) is rolling around.

Yep Halloween!
Unfortunately this year the pressures of that evil monster the PhD are going to be keeping me from the usual crazy party prep and costume making. The first year halloween has fallen on a friday night in years and I can’t have a party. I have to give a seminar presentation to the research institute my supervisosr sold my soul to for funding instead. This is not my first choice of things to be doing on halloween believe me.

That being said I am determined to make the most of it, and while I am desperately trying to not give in to temptation and give my presentation dressed as a Zombie I have agreed to make some cupcakes for Mr B’s office halloween afternoon tea. This of course means cupcake for my office (lab) too.

I have also volunteered to help out with what appears to be a family type Halloween event that may be happening this year. At least I can provide loads of decorations etc if I can’t have my own party.
So what this means is Google and I have become friends in the quest for inspiration for halloween cupcake ideas. So far I have these and a couple of others.
Being one to never do things the easy way I have also decided to try my hand at a little sugarcraft and make some of my own toppers. Having never done this before I decided to have alittle practice. I made up a little black sugar modelling paste and had a bit of a play.

So far I have come up with these:

So what do people think.. that cat needs some work and both it and the hat need some piped details in other colours like eyes and stuff but I would love to know peoples opinions. Oh and any ideas of other thingamybobs I could mold as cupcake toppers. So far I am thinking the tentacles for a cthulhoid monster cupcake, perhaps a broom and spell scroll combo, pumpkins of course and I may try my hands at a bat though I am really not very good at this so that may be a bit hard… so any suggestions and feedback welcome

I got my customised name trees from M designs! *boogies*

I ordered these ummm .. months ago but there were technical issues with email etc and it took a little bit to get it all sorted. The customer service was fantastic during all the teething issues though adn I even recieved a bonus extra for free in my order. Mary was lovely enough to include the chart for her “Christmas” tree as well.

I got two names done “Leslie and Colin” to give as gifts to two of the people who continue to mean the world to me every day. Leslie will also be the recipient of the Santas of Doom afghan at christmas. She is as crazy over christmas as I am over Halloween. These charts were actually ordered and paid for before I started the 10 project challenge so they don’t even break the challenge
Happy guilt free stash, not that I ever really have guilt over stash anyway.

Oh I have uploaded more halloween pics to my gallery here it was easier than bombarding you all with pics in my blog. There are comments attached to most of them. The low light conditions and general running around means that not all of them are completely in focus :p

I still hope to get a few more of some of the other costumes and so forth from the night but my time for today has run out… I will keep adding a few more pics to the gallery over the next few days though.

*cries* It seems the stitching gods have forsaken me. I really want to stitch but even when I do find some time I seem to have lost my stitching mojo.

But that is enough whining…
The Halloween party was fun although there are very few photos for technical reasons (I was too busy and the camera proved to be a challenge for others) there are a few though and I will take more of how I do the house up for tonights trick or treaters.
This year I know there will be a few as the nephews have been excited for weeks about being brought over to trick or treat.

Jack ‘o’ Lanterns you would be mortified at how much we have to pay for american style pumpkins over here. I still pay it though… you have to have jack o lanterns at halloween.

My mad science lab display for this year.. Being a chemist has its advantages. I put dry ice in the vessels at time through the night too which made then bubble over. It was fun! the bowl is filled with slime from the chem lab. We have school kids make it when they come to visit the uni. It is all gooey and fun to play with.

And the grave yard. We set it up under the house this year to section off an area we didn’t want people to go into. It had eerie green light over it which added to the spookiness. I am going to set it up in the front yard before the trick or treaters show up tonight.

I have a photo of me in costume too … but I am not sure about posting that one.. . It involves me, though I really do like my new hair colour

Lots of other people were taking photos so I may get a few more yet and put them up in my gallery if people are interested. Unfortunately there were a few sick people who turned up so we have spent the last couple of days fighting off bugs that we caught on the night I am pretty much recovered now thankfully but the boys are still a little on and off which meant our trip to dreamworld was postponed from monday to this coming saturday.

I still have a busy week of touristy bits (wine tours, visits to the botanical gardens, China town etc) to do with Adam before he heads back to the scary USA but then I should be back to stitching… and hopefully have some update pics.

Last things .. sorry I am really really behind in my emails I hope to get a chance to write a few soon *hugs to you all* and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Well Adam has made it safely to Australia even if he was complaining about the heat and humidity after on 5 minutes :p It has actually bee really mild with a wonderful cool breeze since he’s been here too.

Surprisingly enough he had no troubles getting through customs…. and all this came from one bag! I had so much fun unpacking it *giggle* . There is enough halloween candy to kill numerous small children not to mention grown adults and peeps. I had my first peep experience yesterday. They are strange , very , very strange.

With all the craft fair craziness and getting ready for visitors I haven’t done a great deal on Belladonna’s gift. I did get her started though and will be sure to post pics as soon as I get the chance.
for now though I need to make calls to confirm my dry ice for saturday and finalise my menu.

I think I should havea norty Nic category. She rocked up to work yesterday with more presents! I even got asked if it was my birthday It sure felt like it. hehe

I think I have given Nicole the Halloween bug (except she buys it all for me). Over 100 pieces of candy, which will be fantastic pinanta fill! Three adorable Hallmark Halloween bears a garland batty boppers and a witches broom. hehe More for the Halloween stash.

Things around our house look like a spooky bomb hit. There are Halloween bits and bobs everywhere. I start making Mr Bs Costume this weekend…

I am thinking I will add as praoject to my 10 project challenge. The challenge is for any crafty project so I think sewing counts. That and I haev a stitchers and craft fair to go to on the 21st. I am sure my resolve will be tested for this wagon stuff when I am there.

I have confirmation that my costume will be sent this week. I cheated this year and ordered mine from house of Vamp. I usually make all my costumes but for some reason decided not to this year. Probably because of that whole busy with my PhD thing. For those interested I got a Mad Scientists Lab coat from House of Vamp I will be adding some accessories dying my hair vlood red and adding a few personal touches to the coat as well I will post piccies when I have it all done
Have I mentioned I like Halloween? Oh and Happy Friday the 13th Everyone (tomorrow for you crazy american types)

Oh apologies for the bad lighting in the photos too I haven’t got time to take better ones at the moment.

I’m running incredibly late with invitations this year but finally they are ready to give to people. Thankfully people were not waiting on these to actually know the party was happening. That is one upside to having an annual event, people get used to it happening.

Mr spindly spider guy.. aka the Pinata is turning out quite funky and is once again tougher than your average pinata. Prognosis: It will probably end in pinata cricket or football by the end of the party.. but really who cares how it gets broken as long as we get to the toys and candy He will get layers of orange and black finged crepe paper yet and of course the legs will br finished beyone the prototype stage shown here. Oh he gets big googley eyes too!

Last but by no means least is my new stitching project for the next few weeks. The Just Nan TrickORTreat box. Ever since Athemise pointed this design out on the HAED BB I have been oggling it. I almost bought it the day before it arrived in my post box too. It was a surprise gift that had me spinning… something small… lol. Seeing as I have been told I have to stitch it I will be trying to start it this weekend, I of course always do what I am told

I finished the prototype for the Halloween Invitation! It always takes so long to come up with an invitiation idea and becomes more challenging with each passing year. This will be our fourth big Halloween bash (not counting the one we “didn’t” have last year). The first year was little bats made from cardboard and chuppa chupas with little goggly eyes etc … they were really cute. The next waas a series of little pumpkin cards but each one had a different face cut out of them. They were made from copper mettalic paper and backed with black card… we still use some of the extras as decorations. The last party we had little fold up coffins that we placed a scroll tied with a piece of black ribbon in to. They were probably the most popular so far (except for maybe the bats) I may have a pic of them somewhere actually, will have to poke aroun in my files and see.

This year I give you our little spider webby friends :

This guy was done as a mock-up so he is a bit dodge. Constructed from Black card with silver glitter glue used for the 3D type web bits. The little cutie of a spider was made with craft pompoms tiny googley eyes and black beading wire for the legs. I may still stick little beads to each end of the legs to give him little round feet but I am still undecided. Party details etc will be written on the back in metallic pens. Now I just need to make about 30 or more of them, lol.