BYOP

Alison and I hosted the fourth annual edition of the Team Grondul BYOP* Pumpkin-Carving Party about a week ago.  It went quite well:  we had our largest ever turnout, and I believe everyone had a good time.  So, I'd like to thank everyone who showed up and contributed to the festive mood.

* Bring Your Own Pumpkin, natch.

Zombie Dog...Mwahahaha!

Check it out:


Newton has always done this. He will sometimes sleep with his eyes open and one or both of them will roll down to the whites. It has always creeped me out when he does this. It's one of the very few things he does that is not particularly cute. But it is appropriate for the week of Halloween! Scary...

The Jacks are Back

Alison and I had the Third Annual Team Grondul BYOP Pumpkin-Carving Party about a week ago. I believe everyone had a good time. I did, certainly. Here is a photo with most but not all of the jack-o-lanterns the affair produced.

Now if We Could Just Get Him to Howl Again

A neighbor, who owns two cuddly and snorty pugs, recently made Newton a snazzy seasonal bandanna. Observe how sharp he looks in it.

How to Meat People and Be Loved

I think I've just found Nick's Halloween costume.

Touch Them with Your Own Noodly Appendage

Those members of the readership who both (a) are pastafarians---at least Brian---and (b) enjoy Halloween---probably all seven of you---may be interested in this article showing you how to make your own Flying Spaghetti Monster costume.

Mmmm...Fleshworms

I've certainly dropped the ball with respect to Halloween-hacking posts this year. Still, regular readers will know that Make's blog is the place to go to find inspiration for costumes, props, and even food. Food? That's right; check out these fleshworms. Mmmm...fleshworms.

Costumes Aplenty

If you didn't get enough Halloween at Halloween, you might want to check out the winners of MAKE's costume/decoration contests.

The 2nd Annual Pumpkin-Carving Extravaganza

Alison and I hosted the Second Annual Pumpkin-Carving Extravaganza last Saturday. Actually, I should say that Newton, Alison, and I hosted the party, since I think the majority of our guests attended principally to meet the new pup. We all I had a good time, I think, and Newton was a big hit. Thus, the event was a success. I expect that we'll host another squash-mutilating get-together next October.

Jack-O'-Lanterns on Parade

The Second Annual Team Grondul Pumpkin-Carving Extravaganza is drawing closer, so here are some ideas for making something other than the same old jack-o'-lantern. These ideas all come courtesy of MAKE and the "softer side" of MAKE, CRAFT:

• If you're a danger to yourself and others when wielding a knife, perhaps you should consider simply decorating the outside of your pumpkin, like Bert and Ernie here.
  
• If pumpkins are just too messy for you---though personally, I think the mess is half the fun---then you might want to buy a rubber foam pumpkin. Since these often come already "carved"---by which I mean "molded"---I'll expect you to do something creative with yours. Perhaps you can make a porch-light cover out of it, like this one.
  
• Plastic is another option for the real-pumpkins-are-too-messy crowd. That's fine, but, again, I'll expect you to do something clever. Here, for example, is a solar-powered plastic JOL.
• If you're more of the needle-and-tread type of person, you could crochet your jack-o'-lantern. If your design come out well, you can submit it to this contest at Monster Crochet.
  
• And finally, if you just want to carve up a really kickin' JOL, then you should check out Extreme Pumpkins. (I know I mentioned this site before, but no pumpkin-carving roundup would be complete without it.)
  

More Than Meets the Eye

Here're some more fun, geeky costumes from the MAKE blog.

Extreme Pumpkins

Those of you who will be honored with an invitation to our annual pumpkin-carving party---pretty much all the Marylanders reading this---should peruse this site. Alison and I will be expecting greater-than-average creativity this year.

Cube Me!

Here's another fun-yet-geeky costume from MAKE: a Rubik's Cube.

All Hallows Eve

Halloween is coming up, as I'm sure you have noticed. Thus, you may be searhing around for a costume idea. Well, if you are into superheros (or cuddly flying mammals), you might enjoy these entries from the MAKE Blog:

• The first is a bat costume made from a bumbershoot. With a little modificaiton, it could be made into a Batgirl or Batwoman.
• The second is a very thorough Wolverine (movie version) costume.

Check 'em out, bub.