Hello friends! I wanted to do some kind of fun tag for Halloween, but most of what I found revolved around scary things and "would you rather..." questions, which I'm not a fan of, but then I found the Disney Halloween Tag, which was created by Brianna Hertzberg on YouTube. A lot of the questions relate to the Disney theme parks and a Halloween event called Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party that I have actually been to, but it was 12 years ago, so my memories of it aren't that vivid and I'm sure things have changed, but I'll answer to the best of my ability. I'll link her original video at the end, but for now, on with the tag!
- Favorite Disney villain and why?
- Hades from Hercules; I love him because he's sassy and sarcastic, which is me if I were a Disney villain.
- Favorite Disney villain song and why?
- Ursula's "Poor Unfortunate Souls" from The Little Mermaid; Ursula is probably the villain that scares me the most because she's deceptive as opposed to being just outwardly evil, and this song is just perfect for her.
- Favorite Disney Halloween song?
- Of course, "This is Halloween" from The Nightmare Before Christmas
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Favorite villain sidekick?
- Pleakley (Jumba's sidekick) from Lilo & Stitch
- Favorite Disney monster?
- Stitch from Lilo & Stitch
- Favorite Dark Ride at Disney?
- Honestly I had to Google what a dark ride is, and it's any indoor ride. My favorites are the ones geared for little ones in Fantasy Land, such as The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and Peter Pan's Flight.
- Haunted Mansion Ride or Nightmare Before Christmas Mansion Ride?
- I've only experienced the classic version, but I can guarantee I would like the Nightmare Before Christmas version better.
- Pumpkin or regular beignets?
- Regular, I don't like pumpkin anything.
- Ghost Galaxy Space Mountain or Classic Space Mountain?
- I've experienced classic Space Mountain and I hated it (anxiety paired with motion sickness, it was my worst nightmare), so neither.
- Favorite Halloween treat at the parks?
- I don't remember any specific Halloween treats from 12 years ago, so I'll give you my favorite treat in general: Belgian waffles from Sleepy Hollow (Liberty Square, Magic Kingdom, Disney World Orlando). It's the absolute best spot to camp out before the fireworks because it has a perfect view of the castle, and the waffles are amazing.
- Who is a Halloween character/villain you wish you could meet at the parks?
- I don't know if I would like to meet any Halloween characters in particular, but I would love to meet Hades.
- If you could go to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, who would you dress up as?
- I went as a hula girl as a nod to Lilo & Stitch when I went, but now I would probably go as a more classic Lilo and bring a Stitch stuffed toy to complete the outfit.
- Favorite thing about Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party?
- I don't remember much of it, I just remember it being fun because they closed down the park for the party, so it felt really special.
Brianna's Original Video: https://youtu.be/rhCr_aLVXUU
Happy Halloween!
Erin
Hello friends! With Halloween quickly approaching, I thought I'd put together a bonus post all about some Halloween-inspired names, ranging from pop culture names associated with Halloween to names with meanings tied to elements of Halloween. Here we go!
Girls
- Asteria - Greek, "star" - Asteria sounds magical and haunting, and is a great yet subtle nod to Halloween.
- Suggested pairing: Asteria Esme
- Branwen - Welsh, "beautiful raven" - Branwen is a beautiful name, and ravens are strongly associated with Halloween, so this name is the best of both worlds.
- Suggested pairing: Branwen Flora
- Coraline (Coraline) - French, "coral" - Coraline is right on trend with many things (-line endings, French names, Cora as a nickname, etc.), andis one of my is a lovely tribute to the Tim Burton movie.
- Suggested pairing: Coraline Genevieve
- Hala - Arabic, "halo around the moon" - Hala is another name that's on trend with names like Nala, Maya, and Hailey, and the association to the moon is a Halloween no-brainer.
- Suggested pairing: Hala Leilani
- Hazel - English, "hazelnut tree" - Hazel is rising in popularity and may be the most discreet Halloween name on this list, but I chose this adorable name for its nod to witch hazel.
- Suggested pairing: Hazel Winter
- Layla - Arabic, "night" - Layla is gorgeous, so it's no wonder it's rising rapidly, but it's meaning goes perfectly with a Halloween theme.
- Suggested pairing: Layla Tess
- Nell (The Corpse Bride) - English, meaning debated - Nell is one of my favorite names on this list, and is another great tribute to another haunting Tim Burton movie.
- Suggested pairing: Nell Olivia
- Nerissa - Shakespearean, "nymph, sea sprite" - Nerissa feeds into my soft spot for whimsical names, and its meaning fits right in with the creatures and magic of Halloween.
- Suggested pairing: Nerissa Mairi
- Wednesday (The Addams Family) - roots debated, "Wednesday" - Wednesday is probably the most iconic character from The Addams Family, so of course this name made my list.
- Suggested pairing: Wednesday Pearl
- Winnie (Hocus Pocus) - English, "fair" - Winnie is such a cute name, but if you're a Hocus Pocus fan, it's the perfect choice for you.
- Suggested pairing: Winnie Harper
Boys
- Aydan - Turkish, "from the moon" - Aydan is yet another variant of the ever-popular Aiden, but this spelling has a stellar meaning perfect for Halloween.
- Suggested pairing: Aydan Leo
- Casper (Casper the Friendly Ghost) - Dutch, "treasurer" - Casper is like the Wednesday of my boys' list; it's iconic, so putting it on was not a question.
- Suggested pairing: Casper David
- Dexter (Dexter) - English, "one who dyes" - Dexter has a mysterious feel to it, and it's a great alternative to names like Daxton and Paxton.
- Suggested pairing: Dexter Flynn
- Drake - English, "dragon" - Drake, like Nerissa, has a meaning that fits perfectly with the creatures and magic of Halloween.
- Suggested pairing: Drake Alexander
- Edgar - English, "wealth, spear" - Edgar is on this list because of Edgar Allan Poe, who was definitely know for his creepy, haunting poetry.
- Suggested pairing: Edgar Nolan
- Jack (The Nightmare Before Christmas) - English, "God is gracious" - Jack can be used if you love Jack Skellington, or if you just love the classic jack-o'-lantern.
- Suggested pairing: Jack Oliver
- Logan - Scottish, "little hollow" - Logan is just as discreet as Hazel, but its meaning has half of the word Halloween in it, so I had to use it for this list.
- Suggested pairing: Logan Michael
- Osiris - Egyptian, "god of the dead" - Osiris is definitely the most cryptic name I have, but if you love Halloween, I think it's perfect.
- Suggested pairing: Osiris Kai
- Sullivan - Irish, "little dark eye" - Sullivan's meaning just screams Halloween to me; it's a little weird and dark, but the name is still adorable.
- Suggested pairing: Sullivan James
- Wolf - German/English, "wolf" - Wolf is definitely for a brave namer, but with werewolves to strongly associated with Halloween, I couldn't resist.
Happy Halloween!
Erin
Hello friends! With Halloween coming up, I thought I'd try to give some answers to the age-old question: What should I dress up as? Here are 10 easy DIY costumes. If some require a bit more DIY work, I'll also include instructions.
1. Raining Cats and Dogs
You will need:
An umbrella
Plush cats & dogs
Clear string like fishing line
Optional: crystal raindrops, rain boots/coat
How to do it:
Tie the toys to the inner rods of the umbrella using the fishing line (and the crystal
raindrops if you have them). If desired, wear rain boots/coat.
2. Morton Salt Girl
You will need:
A white/clear umbrella
A yellow dress/tunic/coat
White leggings/tights/jeans
Yellow shoes
Morton Salt
3. Vintage Wind-Up Toy (picture tutorial below)
You will need:
A vintage outfit (babydoll dress, lace dress, Mary Janes, etc.)
Doll makeup
Cardboard
Paper towel tube
Scissors
Pencil
Paint
Paint brush
Ribbon (preferably to match your outfit)
Glue
4. Belle (Beauty and the Beast) (hair tutorial below)
You will need:
A blue dress
A white blouse
A white apron
Black shoes
Blue ribbon (to tie around ponytail)
Books
5. Ty Beanie Baby
You will need:
An animal-themed onesie
Red cardstock
White paint
Paint brushes
Scissors
String
How to do it:
Cut a heart out of the cardstock and paint on the Ty logo. Attach the tag either
around the neck as a necklace or to the zipper of the onesie.
6. Mary Poppins
You will need:
A long-sleeved white blouse
A knee-length black skirt
Black tights
Black shoes
A black fedora hat
Red ribbon (for around the waist and to make a bowtie)
Fake daisies
Hot glue
A black umbrella
A black purse
How to do it:
For the bowtie, tie a bow and double knot it, clipping the ends off. Glue it to a
ribbon longer than your neck, and tie it under the collar in the back. For the hat,
glue the daisies to the base of the hat so they are in the crease between the hat
and the brim.
7. "Sleeping Beauty" OR Princess Mia (Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement)
You will need:
A tiara
Pajamas (preferably a matching set/nightgown)
Slippers
Optional: a teddy bear, a sleep mask, a pillow/blanket
8. The Man with the Yellow Hat (Curious George)
You will need:
A yellow button-down shirt
Yellow pants
A yellow tie
A yellow hat
Brown combat boots
A black belt
Black felt
Hot glue
A stuffed monkey (or a child dressed as a monkey)
How to do it:
Cut out black felt circles and glue them to the tie, then cut strips of black felt to
glue a stripe around the base of the hat.
9. Medusa
You will need:
A white flowy dress (think ancient Greek/Roman style)
Small plastic snakes
Bobby pins
Optional: gold jewelry
10. "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs"
You will need:
An umbrella
Cotton stuffing
Hot glue
Clear string like fishing line
Floral styrofoam balls (in the floral section of craft stores)
Brown paint
Sponge-tip brushes
How to do it:
Glue the stuffing all over the umbrella. Paint the Styrofoam balls brown, gluing
some to the cotton and attaching others to the inner rods of the umbrella with
fishing line.
Note: All pictures saved from Pinterest.
Happy Halloween!
Erin
Hello friends! Happy Halloween! Yesterday was the day of fun costumes, tasty treats, and ghouls and goblins galore. Here are the treats I made for a family Halloween party, the tricks my family planned, and my costume. Enjoy!
Treats
Because I'm still at school and going home on the weekends, I needed to shortcut these recipes. Of course, you can tweak these to your liking and do them from scratch (typically I would, but shortcuts work just the same), and there are a million ways to decorate them.
First, I made Creepy Cupcakes. Cake batter is the one thing I can never get right from scratch, so I always need a little help from Betty Crocker or the Pillsbury Dough Boy. I started with these adorable candy corn cupcake liners by Wilton, and filled them with vanilla cake batter. When they were done, I loaded my chocolate frosting into a Ziplock bag with a decorating tip, and iced away. The liners came with these adorable decorative picks, and that's how I topped mine off. You could use red velvet cake to make these extra creepy, but I wanted the designs on the liner to show through.
Next up, I made Ghastly Ghost Cookies. Again, homemade dough is my preference, but I was all about ease this time around. I used Nestle Tollhouse Mini Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (in the refrigerator section) and baked as per usual. When the cookies were cool, I melted some white chocolate and spooned it onto each cookie in a puddle-like shape. I topped each puddle with a marshmallow and attached some Wilton candy eyes with melted semi-sweet chocolate, which I also used to pipe on a mouth. You can use any type of cookie for these, and I also saw online using Whoppers (instead of white chocolate and marshmallows) and making spiders or bats.
Tricks
My family loves Halloween, especially my uncle. He turns their house into a graveyard/haunted mansion deal every year, and always invites us over to check out his months of work. It was creepy to say the least.
My Costume
I'm not the type to dress up in the gore (or teeny tiny outfits) typical of Halloween, so finding a costume is usually a challenge. This year, I decided to combine one of the makeup trends of the season with a classic character, and came up with comic book Superwoman. I did the pop art makeup, curled my hair, and made a tee shirt with the logo. After that, it was super easy: all I needed were red pants (I had some red jeggings), a gold belt, and a cape (I got mine for $7 at Party City). Typically Superwoman wears patent red stiletto boots, but I didn't have those and certainly wasn't going to buy them, so I opted for some white tennis shoes. I also layered my tee shirt over a white thermal because it was quite chilly out.
I wish you all the best,
Erin
