I take Halloween crafts and costumes very seriously. This is certainly due to the influence of my mom, a virtuoso seamstress who designed costumes for local theater productions and was once commissioned to sew a purple velvet bow tie for Donny Osmond , opens a new windowin the mid-'70s. Every Halloween, she cranked out exquisite handmade costumes for me and my three siblings that were the envy of our school. A turquoise satin flapper dress with a sequined headband, an ornate Cinderella ball gown worn over a child-sized hoop skirt, an artfully shredded chiffon dress with dead leaves braided into my hair to play the part of a fresh-from-the-grave vampire...yeah, my mom is kind of magical.
However, now that I'm a grownup without a live-in tailor, I've had to step up and become my own Halloween maestro! For the next few weeks, every spare moment will be spent perfecting my costume (I've just decided I'm going as Kathy Bates' character, opens a new window in Misery!), spookying up my home, and exclusively ingesting food decorated to look like eyeballs and fingers. Like I said, Halloween is serious business.
For all my fellow Halloween disciples, here's a list of books to get you inspired to honor this most sacred of holidays:
Don't get stuck with an unlicensed, ersatz Beetlejuice or Joker costume, opens a new window! Roll up your sleeves and build some duct tape and cardboard couture!
How to Create Spectacular Halloween Costumes
If you're not the costume type but still want to get your Halloween craft on, why not knit yourself a little Freddy Krueger doll to place under your pillow at night? Or perhaps a sumptuous red scarf to hide your neck from bloodthirsty creatures of the night?
For all you aspiring Martha Stewarts out there, these ambitious guides will help you dress up your home in high horror style.
At long last, cookbooks where hideous, repulsive presentation is celebrated and encouraged!
