Thread: I spend way too much time on this stuff...

Tweet

I just found this forum and I must say that it's nice to be able to talk with other folks who enjoy Halloween as much as I do and go even more all-out than I do. My friends and family just can't understand my fascination with it, and they're all sick of hearing about my costume ideas. I figure you guys wouldn't mind if I share [:I]
I never like to be anything plain. I have to have some sort of twist to it, and I love making my accessories, just to add a truly personal touch to it. I had other plans to fall through for the costume I wanted to do (I really hate being a broke college student!) so I decided to be a Hogwarts professor (because just being a plain witch would be entirely too boring). I'm still working on some of the costume, but I've got most of it done. I got to spend several hours Saturday working on my props while I was waiting for the feral cats I feed to come up and get themselves in the traps I set so I could get them spayed/neutered. I'm really proud of this year's props and have only once put so much thought and effort into them (just some advice-never spend your last available hour for studying before an organic chemistry exam to try and fix problems with a home made elastic ray gun holster. doesn't do good things for your grade).
I searched the woods behind my trailer and found the PERFECT branch to use as a broomstick. It's got a slight bend at the end where you'd hold it if you were flying, it's perfectly aged, and the bark has peeled just enough in spots to make it look really cool even after I had to sand it down some. I found some great foliage at Walmart that looks just like extra long pine needles. Once I got those spray painted a lovely shade of brown, they were perfect for the end of the broom. I've just got to chisel out two shallow grooves on the stick so I can tape the foliage on without having two odd lumps on the sides, spray paint the duct tape brown, and find something to wrap around the tape so it's not obvious that it's just tape.
Until I started working on my wand I hadn't realized how hard it is to get ahold of more odd sized drill bits when you don't have a big hardware store nearby. I was going to carve my wand out of a big wooden dowel, but I've got two big exams next week that I need to study for this week, so that was out of the question. Instead, I used a length of the big dowel and a length of a smaller dowel, drilled a hole in the handle, whittled and sanded down the end of the smaller one, and super glued them together twice to get the basic shape. Then I broke out my crummy pocket knife and some little sharp craft knives and managed to carve a ball on the end of the handle, sorta rounded the top edge of the handle, and rounded the tip of the wand. (And let me tell you, 3 hours of drilling, sawing, carving, and sanding really cramps your hands and puts blisters on your fingers!) I'm going to try my hand at staining it with some thinned paint tonight (real stain is going to take me too long and I've already spent too much money on this already) and I hope I don't screw it up.
Then I've just got to trim my too-long skirt, use the extra fabric to sew a holster for my wand, and find a necklace to wear, and I'll be good to go. I always wear my costume on campus. The past 3 years I've been an alien and have gotten a wide range of reactions. I'm wondering what kind I'll get this year.
A friend had suggested that I get a harness for one of my cats and bring it everywhere with me. I said I'd rather figure out a way to carry around one of my guinea pigs and say that it was my cat that got in the way of a new experimental transfiguration spell.

Sara, a.k.a. Crazy Guinea Pig Lady

Think before you breed, spay or neuter your pet, and support your local humane society!

Guinea pigs are one addiction that's okay to have.

Welcome to the Greatest forum on earth.

Wow. that was a really long post. I really like your enthusiasm for halloween. Keep it up.

Death is Fine... Gimmie Gimmie

Welcome Sara...sounds like you've got alot on your plate!!!! That's great that you still find the time to take care of the feral cats---keep up the good work!

Welcome to the best Halloween forum on the net! Sounds like this is going to be a great costume! Post some pics if you can!

"forgive me for that twisted thought I had of you just now"