Happy Halloween? Oh Yeah!

Since last Halloween, the husband has been lobbying for us to dress up as Macho Man Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth.  So this year, for my parents' party, we made it happen.  Even if we did break the cardinal rule of costuming by wearing shirts emblazoned with our characters' names and likenesses.  My getup was especially glaring, as it didn't remotely resemble Miss Elizabeth's hair-sprayed, big-earringed, bustied look.  Which is why I passed myself off as more of an '80s era Miss Elizabeth fan.  Still, authentic or not, I loved my throwback threads -- especially because most of them came from my closet!  As for the husband, he had to give his macho mane wig a haircut.  And also joked about going to Wawa and demanding all the Slim Jims.  

That said, we had a spooktacular time at the party, enjoying my mom's frighteningly festive décor and treats.  I hope you had a happy Halloween too, filled with your very own version of WWF-fueled frivolity.  With or without cured meats. 😏

Cupcake Wake: Unwed and Undead

It's the day before Halloween, and you know what that means.  One more spooky story!  This one is Jenn McKinlay's Dark Chocolate Demise, in which Fairy Tale Cupcakes baker extraordinaire Mel Cooper faces off with, not fairies, but zombies.  Scottsdale is hosting its first-ever Zombie Walk, and Mel and company are serving Dark Chocolate Demise, Strawberry Brains, and Marshmallow Mummy cupcakes to the undead masses.  But, as they say, it's all fun and games until someone loses an eye -- or, in this case, a life.  Because Mel discovers a dead undead bride in the photo op casket in front of her cupcake van.  Not only that, but the woman looks just like Angie, Mel's bestie and business partner.  Now Angie is freaked and Mel has no choice but to investigate who knocked off the corpse bride and why, an undertaking that involves mob bosses, rock stars, and not one but two love interests for Mel.  There's also a shopping spree-slash-makeover scene, which I, of course, adored.  So if you like scary and silly and sweet (but mostly silly!), then Dark Chocolate Demise is the pick of the trick or treat reads. 👻🎃

Halloween Mask Ask: Black and Pink and Purple

Top: Nine West, Kohl's; Skirt: Delia's, Dolls Kill; Stockings: Michaels

Razzle Dazzle Rainbow Necklace

Shoes: Betsey Johnson, DSW

Headband: Lady Arya, Zulily

Bag: Skinnydip London, Macy's

Glitzy Ghoul Necklace

Candle: Michaels

Bag: Dolls Kill

Knickknacks: Michaels

Shoes: Betsey Johnson, Macy's; Stockings: Isadora, Zulily

Frame and foliage: Michaels

Headband: Gifted

Skull with raven: Marshalls

Top: Nine West, Kohl's; Skirt: ELLE, Kohl's

Lunar Lena Necklace

Pillows: Michaels

Bag: Gifted

Hair clips: Amazon

Having exhausted most of my Halloween outfits, I was at a loss as to what to wear to finally unveil my festive fireplace.  And then it hit me.  Why not apply the black, pink, and purple palette from my decorations to my getups?  So I did, and it was great fun, making me feel like a whimsical witch.  I even cast my second selfie in a ghostly pallor.  I don't always do this on purpose, though.  Sometimes it's because the light is weird, or because I want to look less yellow but end up looking like Casper -- or, somehow, even yellower.  Oh well.  I guess it's all part of the imperfect art of art.  And of social media.  Which is an art in and of itself. 😏

Anyway, hooray for Halloween and creating a spooky scene.  Even if it is pink and purple. 🎀💜

Peter Peter, Pumpkin Cheater

I know, I know, two book posts in a row.  But it turns out that sometimes -- okay, all the time -- I read faster than I photograph.  So Lee Hollis's Death of a Pumpkin Carver it is, in all its non-gory glory.

When Hayley Powell's good-for-nothing, too-good-looking-for-his-own-good ex-husband Danny blows back into Bar Harbor, she braces herself.  He says he's changed, but she knows otherwise, especially after she finds him partying with his moonshine-mongering Uncle Otis.  But then Uncle Otis turns up dead in a cemetery, and the cops suspect Danny of doing the deed to nab the forty grand that Otis stashed in his mattress.  Hayley finds herself in the unfortunate position of trying to clear her ex's name, an adventure that involves an aspiring horror novelist, an actual horror novelist, and yet another of Hayley's exes, a mild-mannered veterinarian who also happens to be her daughter's boss.  As if all of this isn't zany enough, Hayley discovers that Danny has a crazy ex of his own.  Now, if only she can catch the killer before her jack-o-lantern light is snuffed out for good.

If your idea of a good time is comic crime, then look no further than Death of a Pumpkin Carver.  It may be just the festive fracas you need once the candy runs out.         

Which Witch Stitch: The Power of Polka Dots

Vivienne Jones of Graves Glen, Georgia, has always been reluctant about practicing witchcraft.  Content to live the quiet life of a history professor, she's never embraced her powers like her Aunt Elaine or cousin Gwyn, who run a shop called Something Wicked.  But nine years ago, Vivi and fellow witch Rhys Penhallow (the word warlock is so last century) fell deeply under love's spell.  At least until Vivi learned he was betrothed to another, dumped him, and enlisted Gwyn to help her put a more-cathartic-than-harmful hex on Rhys.  Such is the setup for Erin Sterling's The Ex Hex.

Never having read a romcom about witches, I wasn't sure what to expect.  So when Rhys returns to Graves Glen and runs into Vivi, I wondered what would transpire.  Would Rhys get his revenge?  More importantly, did the hex take effect in the first place?  Because despite Vivi having condemned Rhys to, among other atrocities, an eternity of bad hair days, his coiffure remains intact.  Nevertheless, strange things are happening.  And Vivi and Rhys must find out why and put the kibosh on them before Halloween.  Can these star-crossed exes reverse the curse despite their bad blood and simmering sexual tension?  Or will Graves Glen -- and their fledgling relationship -- be lost to the dark side?

Saving the day requires Vivi to dig deep and embrace her powers.  And to me, there's nothing more powerful than the part where she selects a dress to wear while unleashing her most potent magic:

"But as Vivi looked through her closet, her eye fell on the dress she'd been wearing the night Rhys had first come back into town, the black one with the little orange polka dots and the orange patent leather belt.

She *#%& loved that dress.  But it didn't exactly scream Powerful Sorceress.

She reached past it, going for the black dress she'd worn to the Fall Fair, but then she paused.  

This was her spell.  No matter that her ancestor had given it the necessary boost, she was the one who'd cast the original curse, and she would be the one trying to remove it tonight.  She was a powerful sorceress, polka dots or no, and if wearing her favorite dress would make her feel better, why not?" (281)

I love when Vivi realizes that she -- not society -- gets to decide what outfit gives her authority.

Never underestimate the power of a woman -- witch or not -- who knows what she wants from her wardrobe.

Walking in a Wardrobe Web

Skirt: Wild Fable, Target

Halloween Hue Necklace

Tights: Mixit, JCPenney; Boots: ShoeDazzle

Top: Bisou Bisou, JCPenney

Bag: Sleepyville Critters, Zulily

Top: Nine West, Kohl's; Skirt: Xhilaration, Target; Bag: Betsey Johnson, Macy's

Spider barrettes: Piper K, Marshalls; Black necklace: Simply Vera, Kohl's; Boxed necklace: Betsey Johnson, Marshalls; Claw barrette: Walgreens

Belt: Marshalls

Top: Nine West, Kohl's

Bag: Worthington, JCPenney

Top: Simply Vera, Kohl's

Tights: Isadora, Zulily; Shoes: Mix No. 6, DSW

What can I say that I haven't already said about Halloween fashion?  Here it is, only mid-October, and in my mission to be pro-fall and therefore pro-spooky, I may have -- gulp -- eeked too soon.  But I suppose it comes with the cemetery territory and am okay with it if you are.

So. Today's trio of outfits includes only one new handmade necklace, namely the simple but nonetheless festive Halloween Hue.  There are some new store-bought ghoulish goodies, though.  I found the Betsey Johnson spider pendant and Piper K. sparkly spider barrettes in Marshalls a month ago.  I was super psyched about both until I realized that the spiders wouldn't show up in my hair.  No matter!  I just clipped them elsewhere, like good old Piper K. suggested on the package.  And now I can't imagine outfit number two without a rhinestone-encrusted arachnid crawling up the sleeve and belt.  Speaking of eight-legged lovelies, when I spied the Simply Vera spider necklace in Kohl's, it was the only one on the rack.  I couldn't help but wonder if it was a return.  Then again, who would part with such an elegant accoutrement?  Not me!  I plan to wear it year 'round with all sorts of  ensembles.

I be-weave it's what Charlotte of Charlotte's Web would've wanted.