Thread: Attempting a Voodoo Bayou Theme

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Dustin:

No I don't have room inside to do that....I probably could, but it would take up lots of room and time to build. Although, if I had space and time, it would make a fun "table" to put all the food/etc. on!

As for the X...yes, that would be rude. I don't mind the suggestion, but it's important to remember that Halloween is all about fun and even though some of us go to great lengths to be over-the-top and "authentic," it's never fun to be insensitive. I have several friends stationed with me here in CA who are from New Orleans and the surrounding area, and believe me...they wouldn't find that amusing or "fun." That was a very real, very recent tragedy. Ghosts and skeletons are all fun because they are vague and we don't really associate them with real people....but those "X" marks represent real people that died just 5 years ago. So I'm not offended by the suggestion, that's just my own opinion.

Originally Posted by airmanjerm

Hey,

Well honestly you're further than we are with menu decisions. Needless to say ours will be similar to that, but I'm sure we'll have some non-Cajun stuff also. A couple other things we'll probably have is a shrimp-and-grits station, and "Mississippi Caviar" (you can find recipes online...it's a dip). Here's one I found real quick:

http://www.relishmag.com/recipes/vie...pi-caviar.html

(My wife knows how to make this so I may try to get her to write down her own recipe for me).

I'm allergic to seafood so we'll probably make shrimpless jambalaya (chicken and sausage only), but that's a "gimme" for a cajun party. Beignets are also a plan here, and pralines.

As for crawfish, I had a friend here a few years ago (I'm in the military) who had run her own restaurant in Shreveport, LA before joining the military. She had a large amount of crawfish flown in to have an old-fashioned Boil here, and I remember her going on and on about the nightmare she had getting it into California. So, it may be worth it but it could also be more trouble than it's worth. If you work it out though, be sure to boil it with some corn and serve the corn on the side!

If you want some extra drink ideas, look up "Old New Orleans Rum" and order some of their Cajun Spiced rum. It's spiced with cajun spices and has a great flavor. Plus, it mixes well with sweet tea! Don't make the Pat O'Brien's with it though, you wouldn't want to waste it as a mixer. OH: I've learned to add a little orange juice to the powder mix to make it a little better...your call of course, but made according to directions makes it a little watery to me.

(Speaking of....if you're gonna have an authentic party set in the South....Voodoo or not....you gotta serve REAL sweet tea. By "Real," I mean you add a good cup of sugar to it while you've got the tea bags boiling on the stove, then add more water (to get it to the size of your pitcher) and then ice. Southern Sweet Tea secret: you GOTTA add the sugar while it's hot! No adding it later when it's iced down...hee hee.) This would make a good non-alcoholic drink, but if you're not from the South it can be a little sweet.

I'll post more menu ideas as the wife creates it.

Yeah, I'm really thinking the crawfish may be out...we'll see.

Thanks for the sweet tea idea! And, the orange juice added to the mix. I want it to be nice and rich, not watery. Unfortunately, we aren't doing any other drinks (other than some cider/wine/beer). I think the only major alcoholic drinks we'll have are the hurricanes...because we live in UT, we have a bunch of friends who do not drink, so no point in buying a lot and not using it up.

There was a site I used a few years ago that had great instructions for creating potion/apothecary labels and bottles. I can't seem to find it again, but I think it might have been here:

http://lovemanor.com/blog/archives/29

Still can't find the instructions, but awesome labels! And making the labels and bottles is easy enough and there are rampant ideas on the Internet - I seem to remember that a big tip was varnishing the labels to help them keep their aged look.

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If you have or build a wood coffin, you could put one of those motion door knockers inside so that when people are near, it sounds like something inside the coffin is knocking wanting out... not sure how strong the sensor is, so not sure if this would work. You could also attach a block of wood or such to a fan motor like they use for the inexpensive animatronic props (see the project forum on this site) and that might provide a thrashing around inside effect? You might even look into making one of the animatronics - they're easy to make (as long as you don't do the hands IMO lol) and total cost for materials on those is under $10... and they're pretty darn cool.

Creepy cloth, moss, spiderwebs, anything swampy. Maybe cover the entryway so guests have to move through... being careful of how much this might either mess up their costumes, or how difficult it could be for some to move through in costume. Maybe not actually low enough to touch, but hanging above.

Someone posted an idea for a bat cave at one point - covering the walls and ceiling in black contractor bags and adding moss, spiderwebs. I think they used it for the bathroom. You could augment the setting with candles so that it's not too dark and adds further creepy. Maybe a secret altar in a cave type thing?

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Drink suggestion - Swamp Slime Surprise (the recipe is for a single drink, but I increase to make a punch bowl full)
http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=988249

Start by making: Ectoplasm

1 pkg. Lime Jell-O
1 Cup boiling water
3/4 Cup Rum, Vodka, or Tequila

Dissolve Jell-O in boiling water, mix in the alcohol, and set in freezer. Just before it gels up, whip it with a whisk and then let it set.

Then Make: Swamp Water

1/2 oz. Blue Curacao
1/2 oz. Peach Schnapps
Splash of Orange and Pineapple Juice

Shake over ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Then, spoon Ectoplasm carefully into a glass of Swamp Water. It will float, giving an eerie effect.

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Did someone already make the suggestion of having someone do Tarot or Palm readings? We have a friend who has done this for us several years and people really enjoy it.

I think the Tempt Your Fate game goes along particularly well with a voodoo theme.

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I made shrunken heads the year we did a voodoo theme - they turned out not great and were too much work IMO... but, I can accept that was probably operator error lol Just a note in case you were thinking of going that route - next time I'll buy and know for a fact what I'm getting as opposed to taking the chance.

Hope your party is a blast!

Lots of moss as suggested by another user is a must. You can buy it in bulk at some craft stores or online. I have even found it in roll form and it makes great table covers, place settings, and more.

Voodoo bottles, jars, etc. , Skulls & Ouija boards.

This was one of the shelves in our china cabinet last year.
http://alltogetherdead.blogspot.com/...o-bottles.html

You can create your own voodoo spell book out of an old thrift store book. Mason jars painted with a mixture of watered down brown paint on the outside to give them a "dirtied" effect then wrap wire around them, put votives and small pillar candles inside and hang them from the trees will give an errie glow.

"Echolalia," "Chant of the Paladin," and "Mother Tongue" by Dead Can Dance are creepy voodoo-ish songs.

llondra- LOVE love love those labels. thanks for sharing that link!

Originally Posted by Pirate Chris

We did voodoo in our bathroom 2 years in a row. Key elements that really set it off. Lots of candles, skulls with homeade runes (black rocks with symbols painted on them). We had a rubber chicken, some rubber snakes. Homemade voodoo dolls. Those were fun to make. A couple of shruken heads. Oh, and the part that threw it over the edge for us. A hidden cd player that played chants. had one guy who came out of the bathroom and said it was too creepy, he couldn't pee with the chants playing. WIN!

Sweet!! Where did you get the cd of the chants? I was thinking of doing something like that where I am planning on putting the voodoo altar...