PopBetty

A Love Letter to Pop Culture

Fall Frame of Mind: 7 to 9

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Just as Miss Moss had to psyche herself up for summer, I’ve decided to do a series of posts to get myself and readers psyched for fall. Think of it as a to-do/photo inspiration list. Here are items 7 to 9:

PopBetty Fall Inspiration - Apples
Clockwise from left: crockpot apples from Skinny Chef; easy apple tart by Pioneer Woman; apple cider cups by BusyMommy.

7. Eat apples: If you can, try to get some local farm apples (for Atlanta residents, I can recommend Farmers Fresh CSA). Eat them raw or cooked (I’ve made that easy apple tart twice in three days). Also, if you have any tips for making apple cider that isn’t mouth-curlingly sweet, please share them with me below.

PopBetty Fall Inspiration - Soups and StewsAll photos by me; the two left images (brunswick stew with paprika & minestrone) have related posts, while the other two recipes are not yet posted (links to come).

8. Make soup & stew: Soup is healthy, it’s tasty, and it’s total comfort food. Now that temperatures have gone down, it’s a lot more fun to eat, too.

PopBetty Fall Inspiration - Fluffy Beds
Clockwise from left: Rachel Thurston‘s place via Design*Sponge; Ten Broeck Cottage via A Cup of Jo; photo of my own bed.

9. Snuggle under a down comforter: I know of nothing more lush and delicious when it’s cold out than burrowing deep into the folds of a down comforter. Getting out of bed can be a problem, though.

Halloween Week: Spooky Coasters D.I.Y. Project

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Spooky coasters header (2)

When I saw this Guinness ad campaign, I knew I had to try a D.I.Y. version because, well, look at it:

Guinness Halloween coasters

Cool, right? The campaign originally ran in Romania as a low-budget way to promote Guinness during Halloween. It was a success.

I decided to copy the ghost coaster (without fingers, as the material I used, cork roll, isn’t suited for detailed cuts), and then design one or two coasters of my own.

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Halloween Week: Scary Reads

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Agatha Christie's Hallowe'en Party

Do you read holiday-themed books? As a bookseller, I always wondered who the audience was for them (especially around Christmas, when we’d get 26 copies of Dating Mr. December).

Well, turns out that audience includes me. In anticipation of Halloween, I picked up Agatha Christie’s Hallowe’en Party for 10 cents. The purchase got me thinking about good Halloween reads, and about making a short Halloween book list for the blog. Being a book nerd, my “short” list quickly turned into 50+ titles.

Halloween Book List

So I’ve created an Amazon aStore of my recommended Halloween books. I approached this list as a former bookseller, meaning it contains both books I love and books that aren’t really my thing, but might appeal to others (for example, I don’t like zombies, but zombie books are on the list).

I’ve also divided the list into 6 categories (see the left hand column) for easier browsing. And I’ve included only one or two titles per author (e.g., there’s only one title by Stephen King), trusting you to fill in the blanks. Click the image below to visit the store.

PopBetty Halloween Books aStore

Disclaimer: I made an aStore because it’s the easiest way to make a book list with images, links & reviews. That said, I’m an Amazon associate, and do get a tiny percentage of the profit when you buy something through the aStore. It’s a teeny-tiny amount, though, and I encourage you to shop around. Remember, there’s the library. There’s Paperbackswap.com. There are your local bookstores. There are free eBook versions of all public domain titles. And of course, there are your local thrift stores (my Halloween book was 10 cents!).

Bonus: Online-Only Treats

Here are a few more scary links that I came across before I decided to make an aStore:

Emily Carroll - Margot's Room

Emily Carroll’s work: Carroll (who also wrote the disturbing His Face All Red) has a new webcomic called Margot’s Room. Each Friday leading up to Halloween, a new part of the story comes out, with the link to that story part hidden somewhere in the room above.

Teeny-Tiny & The Witch Woman

Teeny-Tiny & The Witch Woman: An animated version of Barbara K. Walker’s book, Teeny-Tiny & The Witch Woman is a classic, and one of my childhood favorites. I linked to it in the aStore (and still think children will love it), but it’s also on YouTube if you want a quick nostalgia fix.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark - Cheek Spiders

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark: I’m not going to lie–this book (also in the aStore) scarred me as a child. As Brian Miggels put it,

“That sh*t damaged me. Honestly, that picture of the girl with baby spiders coming out of her face haunted me for years.”

And it’s not just the cheek spiders, it’s the whole book. If you don’t believe me, here are more scans & comments; that Scary Stories has been one of the ALA’s most banned/challenged books for more than 20 years is another testament to its power to disturb. Be sure to get the out-of-print versions illustrated by Stephen Gammell, however; his illustrations make the book.

Halloween Week: Costume Ideas That Don’t Require a Bikini Wax

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October is a cold month, and platform shoes and low-cut bustiers (and sleazy dudes) are a party-going nuisance. Unfortunately, retail Halloween costume options for women still consist mostly of “sexy” this or “naughty” that. Which means you’ll probably want to make your own.

Here are some of my favorite costume ideas, most of which are no-sew:

1. Pop Art/Comic Book Character

Comic book heroine

So cool. It’s a popular look, but the makeup is time-consuming enough that it’s not been overdone:

2. Celestial Beings

Celestial being

Pair an elaborate star (made with foam glitter stars & wire) or moon headdress with simple dark clothes:

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Halloween Week: Witch Party Concept

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Sorry for the delay–the work is catching up with me! I may have to post a few things this weekend instead.

Vintage Witch PhotoThe Concept

During my Halloween Week research, I read about a “Which Witch?” party, where all the participants dress up as famous witches. It sounded like fun, and as I kept finding great witch-related ideas, a witch party concept seemed obvious.

The Host/Guests

Literature & film are packed with witches for costume inspiration. For starters: Kiki from Kiki’s Delivery Service, Bellatrix Lestrange (or any Harry Potter witch), Elphaba or Glinda from Wicked, Sophie from Howl’s Moving Castle, Chocolat from Sugar Sugar Rune, Jadis the White Witch from Chronicles of Narnia, Baba Yaga, Circe, the witches from Hocus Pocus, Ursula from The Little Mermaid, and on and on. The blog Sexy Witch has tons more historical inspiration, and below are a few more ideas:

Halloween Week: Witch Party

Row by row, from left:

  • Both runway images are from Luella Bartley AW08, photos from Vogue.co.uk.
  • Middle image from “Dark Light Shining” article in Rue Magazine Issue 4 (pg 145). Stylist Jesi Haack has behind-the-scene photos & the full credits here.
  • Professor McGonagall’s hat, $16.30 from Amazon.
  • Borrow the hairstyle of this witch from Donkey Skin (fun fact: she spits toads when she talks).
  • A large rubber toad glued or sewed to the shoulder of an outfit will give it instant witchy flair (and give you a familiar). Here’s a vintage example of a vermin-covered witch costume, and here’s a hair mice tutorial from Martha Stewart.

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