XDelTa DemoCraT-Times Sunday, October 20, 2013 / B7X A parent’s guide to Halloween y e n o m Save Do it your se lf Five bucks + five minutes = uts: o n s ig p to rs a e lf Halloween for rea e m ro F l people tips e m tu s o c ’s r a e y is th re Here a W Paula sirois RockZebraCompany.com hatever you do, don’t do it. Force yourself if you must, but do not look at Pinterest during October. You may even have to avoid Facebook; it depends on the kinds of friends you follow. Are they crafty? If so, off goes the computer. Everywhere you look, there are unbelievable ideas for Halloween, and they all make me sick. I mean, come on already. I am simply not going to make homemade, red gooey filled cupcakes, slice them up with my handy mandolin slicer (really?) and then delicately place ribbons, orange piping and black glittery gemstones on them to make them look like spiders or ogres or something. Who has the money? Who has the time? Who has a mandolin slicer? I am a single mother of two, and I need cheap, quick and easy Halloween ideas — with a heavy emphasis on cheap, quick and easy. As Pinterest goddess as my witness, this is the year of my Halloween success! I will not be found in Wal-Mart on Hallows Eve, digging thru piles of discarded costumes prepared to spend a pot of gold to keep my kids from a meltdown. If time, craftiness and money are not overflowing in your life either, here are three solid ideas that require about five bucks and five minutes of your time. n Costumes: Have your daughter go as your son and your son go as your daughter. Or get the entire family to dress as another member in the family. You already have the clothes. You’ve surely got the mannerisms down pat. Now it’s just a matter of figuring out who goes as whom. Pick names out of a hat and voilà! You’re done. Other quick and cheap costumes are to go as “Karma.” Just dress as yourself, maybe with a sign that says “Here Comes Karma” and bring some “karma dust” (raid your spice rack) that you can toss at people. For those with a bit more time (and rope) on their hands, consider taking an umbrella and tying on some of your kids stuffed dogs and cat toys. Yes, you are now a walking “It’s raining cats and dogs.” n Treats: Buy a big box of generic cereal, some raisins and some orange and black M&Ms and a bunch of those little plastic candy bags (you can usually get a few dozen for about a dollar). Fill each bag with a scoop of each and drop them all into a large bowl. For extra credit, make a handmade sign (the messier the better because messy equals scary) that says, “Do Not Eat Under Any Circumstance: Ghost Brains.” Kids will love it. For those with strong stomachs you can pour a bag of marshmallows into a bowl and label them “Ghost Vomit.” Trust me, kids will think is the best thing ever! n Fun: It will take you about five minutes to draft a quick email inviting your family and friends to do Halloween as a team. This ups the Halloween ante a bit and it’s fast and cheap. Instead of walking as a family door to door where the parents stand all by themselves at the end of the driveway, you can caravan with a large group of festive Halloween buddies. Pull out the old red wagon that all kids have and fill it with snacks and drinks for both kids and adults. Yes, a Halloween party on wheels. If you ask everyone to bring something to contribute to the ’ween wagon, you might just be able to trick-or-treat longer. While my kids will be missing out on homemade Pinterest-styled Halloween decorations that glow in the dark or speak on command, I’ll make it up to them with ironic costumes, gross treats and the best party on the block. Happy “fast and cheap” Halloween! n u f e v Ha ... In Meridian’s Haunted Grove Terri Ferguson smiTh The Meridian Star Promising a night of frightening surprises, employees of East Mississippi State Hospital in Meridian are getting ready to host the hospital’s very first Haunted Grove tour on the week of Halloween. Susie Broadhead, director of Public Relations, said it’s the first time in approximately 40 years that the hospital, which serves individuals with mental illnesses, has hosted an event for the public. Haunted Grove will take place each evening, 6-8:30 p.m. on Oct. 28, 29 and 30. On Halloween night, the event will be closed to the public so employees and their families can enjoy the fun. The tour of terrors will take place hay ride style, with three trailers pulling thrill-seekers through the rolling grounds of East Mississippi State Hospital, 4555 Highland Park Drive. Banking on the element of surprise, organizers of the event aren’t giving a lot of details about what is in store, but they have been working for months to create scary displays they hope will give visitors a few chills. Jeff Call, case manager; and Franklin Howse, IT system administrator, are spearheading creation of the displays with support from a 20-person committee. “I think that one thing that makes ours more appealing than others is that it’s a ride,” Call said. “You don’t have anybody touching you or running up and grabbing you.” Call said inviting the public to the campus could help remove the stigma associated with mental illness. “We want people to see that it’s not something you would avoid. We care about our patients and our patients care about us,” Call said. Travel through the Haunted Grove will be via $5 hay rides, with a kiddie run at 6 p.m. and, Broadhead said there is no need to stop for supper prior to coming as the Kreepy Kafe’ will be open, offering lots of food. T-shirts will be on sale for $12 . Dorothy’s Emerald City will be available for children 10 and under who are accompanied by someone 16 or older. The Emerald City will feature face painting, tattoos, and playtime with non-scary characters. JenniFer ForKer Associated Press If you’re thinking of making this year’s Halloween costume yourself, you can stick with simple or go Hollywood pro. Neither has to take much time or money, and either can create a convincing costume, whether you’re looking to draw guffaws, shrieks or admiring nods. Brenda K.B. Anderson, who builds creatures and costumes for the touring “Sesame Street Live” show at VEE Corp. in Minneapolis, says some of the same theories she uses there also apply to making Halloween costumes. A good costume blurs the line between reality and fantasy, she says; even simple subterfuge, such as donning a wig or wearing thick-rimmed glasses, can suffice. “When people can’t see what you really look like beneath the makeup, hair and clothes, you are much more believable,” said Anderson, author of “Beastly Crochet” (Interweave, 2013). For instance, she suggests padding a costume — such as around the middle for a clown or bear — to disguise your own shape and make it more authentic. Start pulling your costume together by visiting a thrift shop, Anderson advises. “Thrift stores are kind of a gold mine for the beginnings of Halloween costumes,” she said. “For very little money you can get a whole bridal gown — something that looks more authentic.” AP Photo Kim Conner, of Burlington, Vt., writes about thrifty Kim Conner, a Burlingcraftiness at her “seven thirty three” blog. “I try to utilize things that I have, and what I have to buy ton, Vt., marketing director and mother of three, is inexpensive,” said Conner. For instance, her simple pig costume: Felt ears attached designed this mermaid to a pink headband, a plastic bottle cap wrapped in felt and costume for her daughter topped with a pink button to resemble a pig’s snout. Her — and it’s a frequent mermaid costume, a little more complicated, involves repin on the Pinterest sewing. photo-sharing website. An added challenge is trying to keep her children warm Details for how to make on Halloween night without having to cover up with coats. the costume are at ConSome tricks: Incorporate a hat, wig, hooded cloak or long gloves into the costume. On bare arms, wear nylons. Legs ner’s blog, seven thirty stay warm in thick-cotton stockings, leggings or tall boots. three. The editors at Real Simple magazine also focus on scrounging around the house for supplies, such as brown paper bags and cereal boxes, or buying the bare minimum to fashion costumes for kids and adults. For a flapper, for instance, attach horizontal rows of fringed pink Post-it notes with red metallic tape to cover a simple dress; glue two mini cupcake liners, with gold-dot stickers in their centers, as flower decorations. “It’s tailored toward having fun with the kids and getting them into it,” said Krissy Tiglias, deputy editor of Real Simple’s website, which offers more than 50 costume ideas. Many of the magazine’s adult costumes can be assembled moments before a Halloween party. The outfit often hinges on a pun. For example, wear a white chef’s hat and apron, and carry an iron (real or toy) to be an “iron chef.” The creative types at Martha Stewart Living have turned out another Halloween Special Issue magazine full of costumes, some of which can be had in a flash: Glue blue and green craftstore feathers and a beak cut from yellow paper to green plastic glasses and wear a matching boa. Presto! You’re a parrot. What’s really enchanting in the magazine this year? The plethora of faux lashes, contact lenses, lip appliques and grueAP Photo some tattoos — evidence that Hollywood’s professional makeup secrets at long last can be ours. This snake charmer “Special-effects makeup is really making its way into the costume can be put marketplace. We wanted to show people what they could get together with elabothemselves,” said Marcie McGoldrick, editorial director of holrate lashes, green iday and crafts for Martha Stewart Living. snake-eye contacts These items aren’t cheap — the featured snake-eye contact and temporary lip tat- lenses cost $70 — and require planning ahead. toos. But the effect can be haunting. For example, the “snake charmer” costume includes contact lenses, faux lashes, snakeskin-patterned lip tattoos, ample eyeliner and a rubber snake worn around the neck like a choker. Other makeup effects include 3D scars and the latest in tattoos that mimic bruises, cuts and scars — all easy to apply, McGoldrick said. She recommends buying one or two items, such as $10 Latex elf ears or a big wig, to add “that little extra bit” to a homemade costume. The October issue of Martha Stewart Living includes instructions on making temporary tattoos and offers spooky clip art — spiders, vultures, skulls and owls — designed by tattoo artist Stephanie Tamez of Brooklyn, N.Y.