Halloween Post: Double, Double Toil & Trouble...

... It's that time of year again; All Hallows Eve is fast approaching this weekend - and it's also the weekend the clocks go back 1 hour here in the UK, changing from British Summer Time back to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), making the 31st extra dark and spooky this year.

"Double, Double Toil and Trouble"; Shakespeare's contribution to the Halloween festivities from the Witches speech in the play Macbeth conjures up thoughts of cauldrons, eyes of newt and frogs tails! (not bubble bubble like you may think, the thought on this is that the collective memory on this has become a bit cloudy, and double has got substituted for bubble...)  Though Halloween is not celebrated with the same fervour here in the UK as it is in the US, we still have a great time!

This year I'm planning to settle in for a night of movies, candlelight, popcorn and plenty of sweets! Which movies are on the play list I'm not sure yet... All suggestions welcome! In Halloweens of past I've enjoyed dressing up and going to a big party, but I am a bit obsessive with costume etc - in 2005 I spent 4 hours painting myself up as a zombie with terrifying results!

(I was at University at the time so had plenty of time to cover myself in green greasepaint and fake burns - and yes that is glow in the dark paint in my hair!)

But Halloween does not have to be all blood guts and gore if you don't want it to! There are some fantastic handmade objects that can be kept out all year to enjoy if it takes your fancy...

I LOVE this hat - I stumbled across it on Folksy recently and I think it would look fantastic to glam up a more classy Halloween outfit. It's made by Janine Basil; the hanging spider is a stroke of genius!

I've also fallen in love with these fantastic candles - we don't really have Candy corn here, but the colours always make me smile, and I'd have these out in my house all year around. They are hand made by Craftasticparties on Etsy and at $11 for a set of 3 they are really good value too!

Throwing your own party? Need some tips? There are so many ideas out there! Bobbing apples, spaghetti meatball guts, haunted house mock-ups (though maybe not for very small kids or those with a nervous disposition!) - and of course you will need a Jack-O-Lantern carved from a big fat pumpkin.

 

This pumpkin lantern bowl by TheCaramelJar is a great way to enjoy the lantern effect, but keep year on year to display at your parties. And if it is full of sweets all the better!

I really do not like pumpkin. I've tried year on year to try and like it - but I can't stand wasting all that food by just scooping it out and throwing it away either; I've scoured around for a way to use up the flesh from the lantern and have discovered that doesn't fill me with horror (!) is a Pumpkin Risotto with Crispy Sage; it's a River Cottage classic recipe by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and mixes the pumpkin in with a creamy rich risotto, and you can hide it under lots and lots of cheese. I think it's one I'm going to give a go this Halloween!

Happy Halloween to you all!

UPDATE

Sunday is also the day I launch my Christmas present to you guys - my blog giveaway! It will make a great present for a loved one, or for yourself! I'm very excited about it already - 1 week to go!

Debs