Halloween Party Ideas

Last year I threw my first proper Halloween party (as I surprise for my husband, whose birthday is a couple of days before) and it was a blast! I got tons of ideas for cheap home-made decorations and spooky party food from Pinterest. Sorry in advance about the quality of the photos in this post; my phone does not do well in semi-darkness!

Which Literary Monster Are You?

Happy Halloween! Today I've been thinking about literary monsters, from mythological creatures such as Medusa to classics like Dracula and more modern horrors like Pennywise from Stephen King's It. As someone with coulrophobia, the latter absolutely terrifies me. My favourite monster has to be Frankenstein's monster-a poor, misunderstood creature who is the perfect example of the 'noble savage' archetype. His creator, Victor Frankenstein, is arguably the real monster of the story.

Earlier I took this fun quiz made by Grammarly, a free online grammar checker. I got Dracula.

Freaky Reads for Halloween

Happy Halloween! How are you celebrating? If you've not got a party planned, why not cosy up with a spooky book tonight? Here are some of my favourite spine-tingling classics and modern paranormal reads. 

Harry Halloween!

Halloween gives me a great excuse to rave about Harry Potter! Tonight I'm reliving some of the fun moments from each Halloween in the HP books. Enjoy!

The Philosopher's Stone

On Halloween 1981 Lily and James Potter are murdered by Lord Voldemort and he disappears after the killing curse aimed at Harry backfires.

At Harry's first Halloween feast, Professor Quirrel bursts in claiming there is a troll in the dungeons and Harry and Ron end up fighting it in the girl's bathroom to save Hermione.

Happy Halloween! Spooky Book Quotes

 As part of my series of Halloween themed blog posts I've compiled a selection of my favourite spooky passages from classic novels on my bookshelf. Enjoy!

'I saw that the bride within the bridal dress had withered like the dress, and like the flowers, and had no brightness left but the brightness of her sunken eyes. I saw that the dress had been put upon the rounded figure of a young woman, and that the figure upon which it now hung loose, had shrunk to skin and bone. Once, I had been taken to see some ghastly wax-work at the Fair, representing I know not what impossible personage lying in state. Once, I had been taken to one of our old marsh churches to see a skeleton in the ashes of a rich dress, that had been dug out of a vault under the church pavement. Now wax-work and skeleton seemed to have dark eyes that moved and looked at me. I should have cried out, if I could.'

~ Great Expectations, Charles Dickens

Happy Halloween!

[© Anstice Potts, Oct 2009.]

I hope you are all having a great Halloween, however you've chosen to celebrate. I adore this time of year. I love the crunching leaves, the vivid sunsets, the smell of bonfires, the bang and pop of fireworks. I love dressing up for Halloween, carving pumpkins, doing spooky craft projects, decorating the house with fake cobwebs, apple bobbing and watching horror movies. The darker colder nights are a great excuse to wrap up in knitted hats and scarves and snuggle on the sofa with a warm blanket and some hot chocolate.

Autumnal Art & Craft Ideas

Now that the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness is upon us, you may be feeling a bit down. The summer sun has vanished, to be replaced by torrential rain and chilly winds. The trees and plants that were recently blossoming and blooming are starting to look brown, bare and shrivelled and your shorts, flipflops and bikinis have been confined to the back of the wardrobe. Oh and your stuck in work or school again too! Now it's just downhill from here until next spring isn't it?

Not at all! Although you may have found summer fun and inspiring, there's so reason why autumn cannot be the same. Although autumn may make you think of things decaying and coming to the end, really it is all part of a cycle of death and rebirth and there's so many good things about it-cosy evenings in by the fireside, fireworks, bonfires, dressing up for Halloween, carving pumpkins, candy, rich warm foods, the sound of leaves crunching underfoot.