How to Dress Like Raggedy Ann for Halloween

Raggedy Ann, a rag doll is a famous character loved by many young and old. It was first created as a doll then introduced to the public in book, Ragged Ann Stories followed by TV series. Here is a step-by-step and easy to follow if you want to be Raggedy Ann for Halloween this year.

Things You'll Need
Tights or knee-length socks with red and white stripes
Blue dress with long sleeves
A white pinafore apron
A white bloomer
Red mop like wig
Black shoes
White Mitten
Ribbon, colour of your choice, preferably blue or white.
Makeup

Step
1. Put on the blue dress with long sleeve. If you can get one with floral or red polka-dots prints will be an added bonus. If you don't have a long sleeve blue dress, here is an option. Add a long sleeve blue t-shirt under a blue sleeveless dress. Another option is to shop at your local thrift shop and find the right dress you want.

2. Put on red and white striped tights or knee-length socks.

3. Put on your bloomers. If you can't find one make do with something that resembles like one. Example white short can be substitute and you can sew white calico lace to have the effect. The bloomers need to be longer than the dress.

4. Put on the white apron over the dress. Be sure that the apron is slightly shorter than the dress.

5. Fix your hair to look like Raggedy Ann's. You can wear a red mob-like wig, purchase at a thrift store or make one yourself. Get a mop-head and dye it red then turn it into a wig. Alternatively, dye your hair red with temporary hair colour spray. If you have long hair, wash and curl your hair. Then put on a blue or white ribbon to complete the look.

6. Do your makeup. Add some freckles, wide red smile, open eyes with mascara. For makeup tips watch the video below.

7. Put on the black shoes. Any black shoes are just fine.

8.  Put on the white mittens.

Video

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Spine Chilling Halloween Tombstone Decor

Halloween is near. Having a horrific, spine chilling decor is an ultimate awe from your guests especially from those who are trick-or-treating. Early planning and preparations like the theme of your Halloween look, props and decorations.  All these takes time and some are willing to invest a bit sum of money to make Halloween a great perfection and spooky-fun memories.

If you have the time and want to save money, do-it-yourself decorations is the option. Example, making your own Halloween tombstone. You can check my previous post on tutorial with video on How To Make Halloween Tombstones. You can also search on the web for do-it-yourself Halloween decorations.

However, if you don't have the time and are willing to fork out a little sum of money, this is a great bargain.

THREE LIGHTED TOMBSTONE DÉCOR ITEMS – Free Shipping! -$38.95

LIGHTED COBWEB TOMBSTONE DÉCOR

Spooky skulls, spiderwebs and bats inspire hair-raising fright when bathed in eerie light!

Tombstone’s hidden LED bulbs add a wickedly chilling glow to any morbid decorating scheme.
4¾" x 2" x 7¾" high.
Weight: 1.6 lbs.

LIGHTED GARGOYLE TOMBSTONE DÉCOR

Ghoulish gargoyles make a menacing display, guarding their ancient tombstone home.
Give your night a little extra fright when this lighted decoration sets the scene for plentiful chills and thrills!
2" x 4½" x 7¾" high.
Weight: 1.2 lbs.

LIGHTED SKULL TOMBSTONE DÉCOR

Realistic miniature tombstone is a frightfully cool addition to your scream theme; when hidden LED lights set the whole thing aglow, it’s a daring decorator’s dream.
2 1/8" x 4 3/4" x 7 3/4" high.
Weight: 1.6 lbs.



You will get all these three tombstones with free shipping, only $38.95. Each tombstone made with polyresin and LED lights. Each uses three AAA batteries (not included). You can find out more or to make your order just go to
THREE LIGHTED TOMBSTONE DÉCOR ITEMS – Free Shipping! -$38.95

This is really a great bargain. For a small sum you can get three tombstone and the best part, you can carefully storage them and use again for next year or even for every Halloween.

Have a great and safe Halloween!

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Yummy Mummy Cupcakes for Halloween

This is a very great and fun idea for you as well as with your kids to make this Halloween or for any spooky party. These mummy cupcakes will enchant your guests with their bright blue eyes and cute little smiles!

Ingredients
Cupcakes of your choice
M&Ms (any colour of your choice for the eyes)
Jelly Bean (for the nose)
Black decorating gel
White icing or white fondant for the mummy wrap

Steps

1. Start with a plain cupcake. Insert tip #46 into a pastry bag, fill with vanilla icing. Drop a few icing for the eyes and nose.

2. Put two blue M&Ms or any colour of your choice for the eyes and jelly bean for the nose. If you don't prefer jelly bean just put more icing for the nose.

3. First pipe across long bands of icing over the eyes and then below the eyes over the nose.

4. Continue to pipe or wrap across the entire face but don't forget to leave a little smiley shape gap for the mouth.

5. Add a tiny dot of black gel on the eyes.

6. Now your Mummy cupcakes are ready. Enjoy!


Video

Tip

For great icing recipe refer to this video:

Bright White Buttercream Icing/Frosting

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How to Be Nanny Mcphee for Halloween

If you want to be Nanny Mcphee for Halloween, these are the instructions you need. Good luck.

Things You'll Need
2 Warts
Long Tooth
Black Wig
black dress
black hat


Steps

1. Get fake warts. Nanny McPhee has 2 warts, one above the right side of her mouth and one on the left side on her chin. Try a halloween costume store for some fake, realistic looking warts. You can also try to add them on with makeup.

2. Get a long tooth. She has one big tooth coming down from the left of her mouth. It is quite a long tooth, which is about 4 centimeters long and the normal size of a tooth long ways. You can usually buy a fake tooth at a costume store. Alternatively, you can make one.

• Get fake nails.
• Find one that is the approximate width of your tooth. Remember that it should be slightly longer than your tooth so that it sticks out over your lip when your mouth is closed.
• Paint the nail white or off white and let it dry.
• Affix the nail to your tooth with denture glue.

3.Put your hair in a messy bun and make it look straggly.

4. Draw in a unibrow with eyeliner.

5. Put a lot of blush on your cheekbones.

6. Look for pictures of Nanny McPhee to make sure you have the look right, and for ideas on clothes.

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Be Nanny Mcphee for Halloween. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

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How to Dress Up As Santa Claus

If you are drafted in to be one of Santa's little helpers this Christmas, you'll need to know how to dress like him.

Things You'll Need

Santa Claus costume which includes:

• Bright red trousers
• Pair of big black boots with furry trim
• Padding for your belly
• Matching red jacket with a white fluffy border
• Black belt with a gold buckle
• Pair of white gloves
• White beard
• White wig
• Red hat with a white bobble
• Pair of glasses

Steps

1. Put on some bright red trousers.

2. Wear black shiny boots.

Tuck your trousers into your boots so you can show off the white fluffy trim on your boots.

3. Add padding.

If your belly doesn't quite wobble like a bowl full of jelly, you can bring it up to Santa's standard by adding some padding. Tie with a bow on both sides.

4. Add a jacket.

Put on a red jacket to match the trousers. The furry borders around the sleeves and the hood keep Santa Claus warm on a cold Christmas Eve. Of course, if Santa's doing the rounds of the Southern Hemisphere, make sure the jacket is lightweight so that Santa doesn't overheat.

5. Belt up.

 Add a wide black leather belt with a gold buckle over your jacket. This should be quite tight so that your tummy spills over it slightly.

6. Make it realistic.

If you are wearing long sleeves underneath your jacket, make sure they are completely hidden and tuck them up out of sight. You should also take off your watch if you are wearing one, unless it is authentically in the style of St. Nick.

7. Grow a beard.

You've got the suit right but you probably still look a little too young to be the real Santa Claus. If you don't have a real beard already or the time to grow one, wear a fake white beard and moustache. The elastic should sit at the back of the head near your crown. Fix your beard so you can see your mouth just below your moustache.

8. Add white hair.

Wear a wig of wavy white hair to go with your beard. You should be starting to feel quite jolly around about now.

9. Wear glasses.

Santa Claus is a very old man so his eyesight isn't what it used to be. Wear some half moon spectacles at the end of your nose. Don't push them too high up your nose so that you can peer over them and look down at children who come to see you with bright, happy eyes.

10. Put on a hat.

Put on a bright red hat with white fluffy trim. Hold the rim at the front and slide the back over your head. Let the pom pom dangle down at one side over your shoulder.

11. Add gloves.

To complete the look, slip on some white gloves to hide any signs that your not the real Father 

Christmas.

12. Practice the ho ho ho.

 Finally, put your hands on your belly or rest them on your belt buckle and let out your best "Ho Ho Ho!"

Video

Tips

• Look in dollar stores, costume stores, department stores and thrift stores (opportunity shops) for a costume. If you are really desperate, a pair of red men's pajamas will do the trick perfectly.
• There is nothing to stop women dressing up as Santa. Just keep your ho ho ho's deeper than usual.

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Dress Up As Santa Claus. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

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How to Make a Carnival Mask

Carnival is the funniest party of the of year! Let’s make together an amazing and original mask: using paper mache techniques, you can create almost anything. The best part is that you probably have everything you need to create paper mache masterpieces laying around your home right now.

Things You'll Need

• Newspapers
• Glue
• A balloon
• A string
• Water
• A bowl

Steps

1. Tear the newspapers into strips (do not cut it). Dip them in a bowl with hot water and let macerate for at least one night.
2. Let’s prepare the paper mache paste! Use regular glue mixed with a bit of water: mix using about 1 part water with 2 parts glue.
3. Twist the newspapers and mix them with the paste.
4. Blow up the balloon till you obtain a form matching your face shape. Stick the newspaper strip over the balloon, and smooth it down with your fingers till you completely cover your creation.
5. After one layer is applied, let it dry about 24 hours. Add another layer of newspaper strips and let dry another 24 hours.
6. Repeat this process until you get the desired effect, but you should have at least three layers.
7. Let each layer dry completely before adding another and do not cover holes for eyes and nose.
8. Pop the balloon and pull it out.
9. And now, decorate! When the piece is dry, get out your paints or collage materials and get creative! You can use wool threads as moustaches and eyebrows. Be sure to let the paint dry before you give it a coat of clear gloss.

Tips

• The easiest way to work on the balloon is to work on an inverted bowl, by setting the balloon (knot side down) in a large yogurt container so it stays in one place.
• Tempera paints will bleed into the gloss coat if you try to brush it on - use a spray gloss

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Make a Carnival Mask. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

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How to Use Glow Tape to Keep Children Safe When Trick or Treating

This article discusses the use of a great addition to any Trick-or-Treat Costume - a glow tape accents. This will help to keep your trick or treaters safer by keeping them visible to drivers and others.

Things You'll Need
Glow Tape

Steps

Halloween Safety Tape

1. Look for adhesive backed glow tape (the most commonly available); it means that no sewing is required!
   
2. Understand the benefits of using glow tape. Glow tape actually glows in the dark, making sure that cars can spot them in the darkness and shadows.
   
3. Add some glow tape accents to your kid's costumes before you send them out in the dark.
   
4. Add the tape to the best areas of the costume. Put some on both sides of the costume and a couple of stripes on their treat bags too.
   

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Use Glow Tape to Keep Children Safe When Trick or Treating. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

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How to Have a Safe Halloween

This how-to is about keeping children safe while trick-or-treating. Halloween is a time of fun and in a good community, things will generally be fine. However, it always pays to take precautions on a cold, dark night when kids are running around streets where there are also cars, potholes and ghouls in the backyards...

Steps
Start safety considerations with the costume:

• Provide highly visible costumes for your child. Bright colors, reflective parts or tape are key elements to ensure that your child can be easily seen at night. If your child has a dark costume, add reflective tape, tags or buttons.
• Ensure that the costume fits well and is comfortable. A costume that is dragging or shoes that are too big is just setting the scene for a tripping child. And nothing is as miserable as blistered feet and blocks to go to get home when a child has ill-fitting shoes. Sew up loose ends, baggy sleeves or legs and choose shoes that fit well.
• Make sure that children do not wear anything that obscures the vision. Masks are best left for the party back at home unless an older, responsible person is holding the child's hand while crossing roads. Or, make sure masks have very large eye holes for children to see through clearly.
• Leave the sharp and pointy props at home in case they accidentally stab someone in the eye or a child falls on them. If you do want to have some props, make sure they are soft, without sharp edges, flexible and bend when pushed.
• Keep kids warm and dry. Watch the weather forecast to be sure the costumes will be suitable for the conditions. Nothing worse than having a cold the day after Halloween. Even candies cannot cure sore throats and runny noses.
• Use non-toxic make-up only. Check the ingredients of make-up used on children very carefully to ensure that it doesn't contain ingredients harmful to children. Also take care when applying false eyelashes, eyebrows, nails etc. - anything that sticks to a young child's skin may cause pain on removal.

Think road, driveway and path safety.
Children must be highly visible to people driving cars. In addition, a child must be able to clearly see where he or she is walking - some paths leading up to house doors are poorly lit, have stairs or uneven surfaces that children can trip on. Provide a source of light to help.

• Give your child a flashlight. Flashlights are very important if children are going to make their rounds in the dark, particularly when crossing roads. There are special Halloween ones if you'd like but ordinary ones will do just fine. The type of flashlight with a bright orange cone is especially visible to drivers.
• Add glowsticks. Although glowsticks should not be relied upon as a light source, as an addition to a flashlight, they can help to make your child highly visible.
• Tell children that they must only cross roads at lights, corners or pedestrian crosswalks.
• Discourage kids from riding their bikes or skateboards. Well lit areas with good sidewalks may seem safe, but many parents drive their children around, and so there is much more driveway traffic than usual.

Check the town trick-or-treating hours.

Some towns have set times for trick-or-treating and if they do, make sure to follow these and have your child home on time.

Consider physical and emotional safety issues.

Young children may be scared by some Halloween displays and should never trick-or-treat unaccompanied. If you do not accompany older children, you should be aware of where your children intend to trick-or-treat and set some basic ground rules about house visits and return times.

• Ensure escorts for young children. Young children are those under 9. Have an adult or older teen siblings go along trick-or-treating for children in this age group. If there is a group from your neighborhood, it may be safer for your children to go with them, there is safety in numbers.
• Forbid children from ever entering a house. Unless it is the home of a relative or very close family friend, make sure that your children understand to never enter a home during trick-or-treat. Even where a child enters the house of a relative or friend, the adult accompanying them should go in too.
• Set a route and a time of return. Do this if your kids are old enough to go out by themselves. This will allow you to backtrack them if they are late.
• Look at the possibility of getting walkie-talkies if your kids are going out alone. This is especially important in rural areas where there may be some distance between houses.
• Tell children to keep away from unleashed dogs that are barking incessantly, baring their teeth or growling. If a house has not leashed its dog for Halloween and the dog is making a ruckus, take this as a sign that the inhabitants are not interested in trick-or-treating. Better a safe child than a bitten one.

Consider candy capers. 

Stories of poisoned candies and treats abound. Although most accounts of poisoned candy/concealed needles have been proven false, it is always better to be safe than sorry to avoid any villainous urban legend copycat. Be vigilant and keep your child safe.

• Tell children to bring the candy home first before eating it.
• Make sure that the candy the child eats is wrapped. Go through candy given to younger children and discard anything that is opened or tampered with. Explain to older kids to do the same thing.
• Also be aware to remove any treats that are too small for children under 3. Anything that might pose a choking hazard should be discarded.

Try something different from homes for trick-or-treat.

If you live somewhere that you feel is perhaps a little rough or is perhaps just too dark or far for your child, consider looking for alternatives run by businesses or organizations:

• Check the local schools and churches to see if they have a special program running. Something like a Halloween Carnival or Fall Festival might be occurring as a substitute for trick-or-treating.
• Look at local shopping malls. They might have store-to-store trick-or-treating.

Think manners. 

While not necessarily safety, manners can prevent the potential for belligerent responses from tired and grumpy old adults. Encourage your kids to be respectful to everyone, regardless of whether they get their treats. Sure, the tradition is "trick or treat", but many people choose not to recognize this holiday at all, and hard feelings can result from a small prank. And teach kids to be gracious for what they do receive.

Consider health safety. 

Finally, last but not least, consider your child's health. Teeth, immune systems, body weight and general health are all impacted by too much sugar. Treats should be fun but should not be overdone. Help your child keep a health diet by:

• Sitting down with your child and dividing up the treats. Ask your child to identify any treats he or she doesn't like and have those discarded immediately. Why eat something you don't like just because you have it?
• Schedule treat eating time to avoid snacking on candy throughout the day. Insist that meals be eaten as always and allow treats only after meals have been eaten.
• Ensure that your child cleans his or her teeth thoroughly after eating the treats. Children under 10 should be assisted in cleaning their teeth.
• Ask your child to consume water at the same time as having treats. Not only is this healthier than soda and therefore less of a sugar overload but it also helps to fill them up and slow down the rate at which candy is being gulped down.

Video 

 Tips

• Stay on streets which are closed to traffic on Halloween, if your town does this. If they don't, start a petition to get them to start.
• If you get trick-or-treaters, make sure your house is well-lit, and remove any obstacles (wet leaves, toys, etc.). Make sure that there are no naked flames located near children's costumes because even though your child will be well-fitted, other children may not be...
• If you decorate with lit jack-o-lanterns or outdoor electrical or electronic decorations, make sure they are safe. Electronic and electrical items may short out in damp or wet weather, and cords can cause a slip or tripping hazard.
• Carrying a cell phone is a good idea in case something does happen and you need to call for help or, just want to locate your friends/children.

Warnings

• Make sure when the child goes up to the door of the home, that he/she is visible at all times.
• Be careful with capes. They can be easy to trip over and can catch fire from jack-o-lanterns.

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Have a Safe Halloween. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

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