cake dreams

Each Halloween, I try to create a themed cake. Something both creepy and delicious. I've been quite proud of many of my creations, although some have undoubtedly been more successful than others. Most notable among the "less successful", my werewolf cake, which more closely resembled a bearded hobo than a terrifying creature of the night.

But even those cakes that have turned out well have never turned out quite this well:





Thanks to the Bleeding Heart Bakery, I realize I still have a long, long, long way to go.

Source

Happy 100th, Mr. Price

As a longtime fan of Vincent Price, I couldn't allow his 100th birthday to go unnoticed. Not when I've relished his spooky presence in countless film, television and radio appearances.

But how did I discover the wonderful creepiness of Vincent Price? A late-night movie? An old horror radio show? A record of scary tales one Halloween night? No . It was none of these. My earliest memory of Vincent Price came via The Bionic Woman.




The Bionic Woman was the favourite television show of my 12 year-old self and Jaime Sommers was my idol. So when an episode entitled Black Magic appeared, I was quite naturally positioned in front of our television set. A spooky old house and an eccentric cast of characters made it one of my favourites. And perhaps the most eccentric character of all was a weird old man who had gathered his relatives together for the reading of a will. Classic.

I believe it was my mother who informed me that this weird old man was Vincent Price and that he had a long history of spookiness. It was the beginning of a beautiful, albeit one-sided, relationship.

the moon is a scary place

I want one! I wonder if the offer is still valid . . .

are you ready?

I expect to be quietly sipping my coffee tomorrow morning, but you never know . . .




Photo by Luke Roberts, Australia, 2007

spiders in the sun

I should have known last November, when my faithful cat, Lucky, chose to . . . relieve himself on one of my deconstructed Halloween props, that it was only the beginning. Shortly thereafter, he developed some confusion about indoor vs. outdoor routines. Or maybe he wasn't confused at all. Maybe it was a deliberate statement of his displeasure over my return to work and the end of our carefree days of togetherness.

Whatever the cause, the question, "Do you smell cat pee?" became all too common in my house during the fall and winter. Fortunately, we managed to return Lucky to his previous level of fastidiousness. But not before he had made a few more "statements". Most notably, atop a cardboard box full of Halloween spiders that I had tucked away in the deepest reaches of my basement storage room.

He really had to seek out this spot. And a weak cardboard box couldn't have been the most comfortable place upon which to perch. But he found a way. And I found a cardboard box with a wet lid and a noxious liquid penetrating the contents. I was devastated. And since it was February, the dead of winter in my part of the world, I tossed the entire box into the backyard shed, confident that it would remain conveniently frozen until spring. And give me plenty of time to calm down.

And now that spring has finally arrived, I gingerly approached said box yesterday and deposited the contents into a plastic bin. The spiders received a much needed bath and spent a quiet evening drying in the backyard sunshine. They survived the ordeal, but they will now forever be outdoor props.

My faithful cat, Lucky, watched the proceedings from a safe distance.

day of ill omen

It seems this day was taken far more seriously in 1912.




Happy Friday the 13th.

Source

FCBD

Another Free Comic Book Day has come and gone and a visit to the three comic book shops closest to home has provided me with enough four-colour reading material for the remainder of the weekend. However, my favourite find of the day was not free. Although it did come at a nice FCBD discount.

I was at the check-out counter of my last stop of the day: Monster Comic Lounge. When from a shelf behind the clerk, at the bottom of a pile of random books, something caught my eye. A large hardcover book with a photo of Archie on the spine. As a childhood fan of Archie comics and a current fan of vintage comics and comic book history, I had seen this book at another shop and had coveted it. So the decision was obvious. I quickly discarded the Marvel superhero origins book and chose Archie.

It was the right decision. I can now revel in Archie's history dating back to the character's first appearance in 1941. Including a countdown of the Top Ten classic monster covers.

The Creature looks quite comfortable in Veronica's pool.

untrustworthy

I never played with dolls as a child. They always appeared so cold. So creepy. So . . . untrustworthy. With that waxy complexion. Those blank, staring eyes. Forever watching you as you sleep. And I see the people at LIFE agree with me.

motivation

Due to my limited indoor space and lack of a garage, most of my Halloween props are constructed outside. And living as I do in a northern climate, outdoor prop construction is definitely not a year-round activity. Which means that each year, with the opening buds, greening grass, and rising temperatures, my thoughts turn to Halloween.

This spring, unfortunately, has been unusually cold. Hence, both my tulips and my Halloween progress have been delayed. But finally, this weekend has seen sunshine and warmth and the emergence of buds and tulips. And most importantly, the opening of the shed-of-forgotten-and-neglected-prop-materials.

Not a moment too soon. Only six months remain.