Drunken Sailors

I'm back after some days of much needed rest, after the Halloween party.. Everything turned out really great, we had an awsome time! It's such a good feeling to gather friends to something like this. Seeing that everything turns out as planned and that everyone is enjoying themself. I think a good party can leave you with a real boost of energy and good wibes. This one surely did!

We had the Dead Sailors Inn full of tipsy and more or less drunken sailors, pirates, one mermaid, a demon, and a banana (!). The banana claimed she was sailors food and that we was more than welcome to take a bite. She handed out flyers with information to the sailors. Saying that bananas is good for scurvy and winter depressions. In case you wonder, she was still intact at the end of the night. I think all the Halloween candy we had strategically placed around the bar. might have saved her from a gloomy, ghastly death lol.

It was a wet evening, with rain showers that came and went. But it was warm. Turned out we didn't have to worry about the heat at all. We were so worried that people would freeze, so we went out and bought an extra heater that runs on gas. Instead it got really warm. So warm that our mermaid friend running around in her bra, thought it was just perfect. Me in my padded, chinese jacket and wool socks on the other hand..

Our very good buddy, Kim Lia. Gave us a hell of a concert and rocked the bar big time!! It was so awsome to have live music in our saloon. We have been talking and dreaming about it for a while now. Finally the dream got realized.. The best feeling! We're so greatful that Kim wanted to play for us. As my love put it: The best birthday and Halloween party ever!! Big words coming from an american.

I've added a few photos from the night..

More obscure photos, will be added in a later post!

Me as pirate Ching Shih, with my pirate friend..

 

Kim rocking the joint

 

Ching Shih, Miss Mermaid and Banana Lady...

Costume Coming Together..

I'm so happy to say, that my costume is coming together! I tried everything on yesterday, with the makeup. I'm very pleased and thrilled to see my idea coming to life. Just a couple of small details left and I'm ready for the monster ball, at Dead Sailors Inn.. Most of the items I already had, looking through my wardrobe. Other items I found in a variety of shops down town. Maybe the coolest prop, I found in an antique shop out where we live.. An old fake, gun that someone made, out of wood and a steel pipe. With really nice details of mother of pearl on the shaft. So excited now that it's getting closer...



Love this print of The flying Dutchman

What to Wear

*Sigh* I've been struggling a bit, with my Halloween costume ideas this year. Not really a lack of ideas, rather the lack of enthusiasm. I had many ideas, but none that seemed right.. Usually I find out of my costumes quite early. Having time to plan it down to the small details, finding things online if I have to. I started to get nervous. What if I didn't find out of it in time. At this point, I can just forget about ordering costume props from abroad if I need to. As it take so long to get here. But you know what? I'm going to take up on my own advice. Go costume shopping in my own wardrobe.

I don't know if it was the horror and Halloween movies, I've been watching the last couple of days, that removed my creative block. Or just the idea that needed some time to form. It's an idea I've had for a while now.. The more I think about it, the better it feels. I went digging through some old clothes today and found some perfect garments, for putting a costume together. What I don't have, I'm quite positive I will be able to find in some shops down town. So excited now that my plan unfolds. Think it will be awsome! *Yay*

I can't reveal what it is right now, as some of my guests might read this post.. But I promise to get back to you good folks on it! All I can say, is that I'm inspired by an old photo of an historic person, that I stumbled over online.. Someone that I hadn't heard of before, that made an impression.

Also having costume trouble? Here's my advice..

• Put your soft, romantic, cry movies away and watch som good, old, blood splatting horror movies. Start with your favourite Halloween movie, to get you in the mood. I always like to start with Trick'r Treat. It never fails!
• What's the party theme? Try to think out of the box. Look through your wardrobe and old clothes that's stored away. Something there that you can use, maybe alter and make into a costume?
• If you're crafty, get the needle and thread out. This way, you can make something unique, that no one else has on the party. Also much creepier than the costumes bought in any shop! Just look at the vintage costumes, they all look like serial killers..
• Go to a thrift shop, they have lots of cheap clothes that can be made into an awsome costume.
• Get ideas from the horror/Halloween movies you're watching.. They are full of great costume idas!
• Do some research. Any historical person, someone that has actually lived that you can be? Preferably evil. Or victim of someone evil.
• And what about our fairytales.. They are full of villains and psychopaths.
• Finally; If you can't come up with ANY good ideas. Go as your dead self. It's Halloween people, it's supposed to be SCARY. Dead is good!

My First Halloween

I might have said this before, but Halloween has always been my favourite holiday of the year.. I love the whole dressing up and eerie, mystical, spookiness of it all. It's so fun! Back when Halloween was a non existing thing in Norway, we threw our own small Halloween parties at home with our friends. Though they didn't quite get it, or understand much. It was an american/english tradition, that very few had heard of, if any. Everything is different now, as most kids nowadays is growing up with it. Celebrating Halloween is finally, just as natural as celebrating Christmas! Times has definitely changed..

It all started many moons ago.. When I was a little girl, my dad got a job offer in Montreal, Canada. We ended up living there for a couple of years. I did my first two years at school, learned english, made new friends, and I also learned new customs and traditions. One of them was, good ol' spooky Halloween.. And a passion was born!

I went as Litttle Red Ridinghood, on my first Halloween ever. My mom dressed my sister up as a witch, in homemade costume and scary makeup. With a big, black, pointy witch hat, that she had worked on for days. I remember it having cob webs and a spider dangeling down from it. I thought my sister looked super awsome.. My mother has always been of the crafty type and very good at it too. But she might have done, a bit of a too good job this time. It ended in tears, when my sister saw her own reflection in the mirror. She got so scared, that mom had to scramble together a cute pussycat costume, in the very last minute. I will never forget that witch costume.. Such a cool costume, that was never used.

What happend to homemade costumes, anyway? I always liked to shop around for my costumes. Put them carfeully together. Something old and something new.. I think that makes the best costumes.

What do you prefer? Ready-to-wear costumes,

or homemade? Scary or cute?



Me (on the left, as Little Red Ridinghood) and my sister, on our very first Halloween! Think we look pretty excited..