Halloween Costumes, Part 1

By Dot | Published October 8, 2009 | Posted in Halloween | 2 Comments

Dabbled flickr Halloween Costume Gallery:

halloweencostumegallery

Here’s a collection of cool and interesting costumes for your inspiration possibilities…    From a plastic army man to Cruella DeVille, from Astro-boy to a narwhal… Some of these are movie inspired, like Dr. Octopus, Shawn of the Dead, Nightmare before Christimas, and Death Becomes Her.  And some are everyday items, like sushi, or a computer, or even pair of tennis shoes!

View the Gallery on Flickr

Other Costume Inspiration from Dabbled’s Past:


Need more ideas? I’ll be posting cute costume ideas at Dabbled’s Facebook Page. Become a fan and add your own pics or links!

As an aside…

“Why so late getting this post up today, Dot?”, you might ask?  Well, I was finishing up a couple of Dabbled|Studios projects…   Here’s a writeup on the latest website, and this one includes custom illustration!  I’ll post the other, another custom illo, later…

Finally, I just had to share… I read this story to my 4 year old tonight and he was giggling his butt off… So highly recommend!

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Halloween Costumes: The Hammerhead Shark

By Dot | Published October 7, 2009 | Posted in craft, Halloween, inspirations | 2 Comments
A real hammerhead shark*

A real hammerhead shark*

The winner of last year’s Dabbled Halloween Contest was the incredibly creative Jen Straw, who designed a fabulous wobbegong shark costume for her son. She also sent me a writeup of how she did a wonderful Hammerhead shark costume for her son the following year, but I didn’t get it posted before Halloween was over. So I saved it until this year, and I thought it would be a great way to get everyone inspired and go make your own creative costume! I love how she explains her trail and error process… that’s so much of creating something new–you don’t always have to follow directions.

Jen writes:

geetingready2The head has two pieces of very lightweight craft foam, and the body and fins are made of craft felt (we were on a budget this year! Both the front and back had two layers of felt, both for extra reinforcement (especially where the fins were sewn in) and to create a pocket for the head stuffing. The head was secured with a head ring from a batting helmet (as was Wobbe’s), but the neck was just a tiny bit too tight, so it didn’t sit too well. He ended up wearing it like a hoodie for much of the evening! And, since I made it to a generally large scale again, the whole thing is over 6 feet long from tip to tail. I had to tack it up in the back so that he wouldn’t trip.

The gills were hand sewn with black yarn (in a modified embroidery stitch), which also reinforced the arm slits (a happy coincidence!). The scallops on the head were just a single large stitch (from front to back) which was pulled tight to create the shape- a technique that I learned in 7th grade home EC when I made one of those crazy “Stumpkin” pantyhose dolls. Good times!

geetingready3My biggest problem was with the eyes. I struggled to find a way to make them look right, and it took me several tries (it was also the very last thing to be finished, right before they left for Trick or Treat). I ended up using a large glass gem (a larger version of the glass gems that you might find in a glass vase with flowers), which I covered with felt and painted black. I tacked it onto the head, then added a round “ring” of white felt to accentuate the eye and make it more dimensional (plus it looked really weird without it!). I had tried to use the glass gem itself as the eye, but I couldn’t figure out how to attach it and still create some dimension (I was trying to “sink” into a makeshift eye “socket”, but it kept popping out!). So, not perfect, but it worked, and they stayed on. Well, almost- we lost one of the rings somewhere in the neighborhood.

On of my favorite things about this one is the mouth-I cut a rounded flap for the hole (the flap itself became the lower jaw), and I added teeth around the top and bottom, and a free moving “tongue”. Anatomically, the Hammerhead’s mouth is actually in the right spot for the head hole, but it ended up looking more like the shark had swallowed him.

… you can read more here.

And see a bunch more pictures of the costume here at the Flickr Set.

Last year’s Wobbegong costume:
Wobbegong Shark Halloween Costume

Jen’s husband did a book based off the Wobbegong shark, you can check out the shark’s website here!

Thanks to Jen for sharing!

*Photo credit:   “Real” Hammerhead photo (CC licensed) by Kiwi Flickr.  All other photos by Jen Straw.

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Halloween Decor: House Zombies and Creepy Cherubs!

By Dot | Published October 5, 2009 | Posted in Halloween | 1 Comment

The creative Vanessa at Gerbera Designs was one of our winners in last year’s Dabbled Halloween Contest, so I asked her if she had any great stuff to share with us this year! And she did! These are both easy and inexpensive ways to punch up your halloween creepy decor factor…

House Zombies

Check out her fun and easy tutorial on how to make House Zombies! What a great way to decorate for a party, or to give a few trick-or-treaters pause before walking up to your door.

housezombies

Go read the full tutorial over at Tried and True

I do love this idea. In fact, we have a similar decoration, of a ‘hanged’ man which hangs in our windows… there are tons of things you can do with this silhouette idea, so use your imagination!

Creepy Cherubs
1711195594_be49e774e4

Materials:
ceramic cherub (thrift store/dollar store), Sculpy, Oven, Spray Paint (Black & Gray), Acrylic Paint (red & black)

Instructions:
1. Using Sculpy, form two small horns and attach to head.
2. Create and attach points to tip of wings (you could also cover the feathers completely to make the wings look more leather-like).
3. Form and attach a pointed tail to the rear of the cherub.
4. Bake according to instructions.
5. Allow item to cool completely and apply a solid coat of gray spray paint.
6. Lightly spray black paint from a distance of about 18 in. This will created a speckled effect.
7. While item dries completely, dilute black acrylic paint with water.
8. With a sponge, drip the black paint (very watery) over the cherub to create a streaked look. Continue until satisfied.
9. Paint eyes red.
10. Stand back and enjoy your little Creepy Cherub!

This was one of the winners in the contest last year and a personal fave of mine! Thanks for letting me repost it here! (Text and pics belong to Gerbera Designs. Link to original)

Have a great Halloween project to share with us? Let me know!

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Halloween Food: The Mummy’s Hand..

By Dot | Published October 3, 2009 | Posted in food, Halloween, my food | 8 Comments

Happy weekend… this is from last year, but it was so good, I thought it deserved a repeat!

My dear creative friend, Chad, made this for the Halloween party last year…  and was kind enough to give us a tutorial, so we can all make our own!

Sausage and Bread Mummy Hand

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From Funny, to Geek, To Scary… Pumpkin Carving Ideas

By Dot | Published October 2, 2009 | Posted in Featured Craft, Halloween, inspirations | 7 Comments

Halloween isn’t too far off, and it’s not too early to be thinking about that perfect pumpkin!

Wisdom of the Moon - PumpkinCarve Your Face

This one from Wisdom of the Moon is just fabulously done! Yup, that’s her face, and she carved it. She has a very detailed tutorial so you can put your own face on a pumpkin, too. And if you don’t follow her blog, check it out… she’s got some great stuff there. You can win your own carved stamp if you hurry! (Great, now I’m messing up my chances of winning!)

Link to Pumpkin Carving Tutorial

How about Funny!?

pumpkin2005Josh Pincus is Crying has some really fun ones he’s done in past years!

(Check out his art while you’re over there — especially if you like illustrations and obscure stories of dead celebrities!)

My favorite is this one <–  Pie Anyone?

More funny pumpkins from other sources to check out:

Really Geek Out! Pumpkins to bring out your inner Nerd…

geekpumpkins

Wanna Go Classy?  Check out these ideas…

These Holey pumpkins look simply lovely in groupings!

How about gilded pumpkins?

How about some lovely stenciled pumpkins?  How to is here at BHG..

morepumpkins

And more just good ‘n creepy!

Incredible creepy pumpkin carving tutorials at Villafane Studios!… this guy is GOOD

Not a pumpkin, but a melon brain! (Instructable)

A creepy Cenobite pumpkin… eww!  And check out all the others at Extreme Pumpkins… the 2008 winners are awesome.

Last years ideas from Martha Stewart are worth revisiting – Owls, Black Cats, and more are here.  Carving tips too.  And love her or hate her, she has some great stuff!

More Inspiration:

Hope you enjoy this jack-o-lantern idea post… More will be forthcoming, of course, as we get closer to the big day!

If you missed it, Dabbled got hacked. Be sure to read the post from earlier today with things you should do as a reader to make sure you didn’t get infected, or if you have your own site, the signs to check for to make sure you weren’t hacked as well…

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iframe Hack – A Warning for readers and other bloggers

By Dot | Published October 2, 2009 | Posted in website design | 3 Comments

1571667746_1e97552541Dabbled got hacked a few weeks ago, and I just figured it out. So I’m passing on the warning to you guys.

First off, everyone should do regular spyware checks on your computer. Yes, even if you have a mac–in the forums I was reading there were mac users with these issues.  Yes, even though you already run a virus scan.   There are a bunch of programs out there, but I typically use Spybot Search & Destroy and AdAware. They are both free for personal use. And if you use IE I recommend switching to Firefox. The ad blocking and script blocking add-ons will save you headaches. Also, if you’re using version 8 or below of Acrobat Reader, upgrade to version 9.

Secondly, to my fellow bloggers – check your site and confirm that you haven’t been hacked as well. In my research today I found that this has been a pretty common hack recently, and it’s hidden so you don’t notice it — but you could be spewing icky links to Google or directing your users to malware without even knowing it. If you have a wordpress blog, check your index.php files. Mine all had an iframe to an icky site added to the end of them all. You can also use this site to see if you have hidden evil links: http://www.unmaskparasites.com/.

Note: This was NOT wordpress specific, although alot of WP sites have reported it.

I think I have it all cleaned up now, but my symptoms were:

  • some weird site slowness
  • 2 reports (over 2 weeks) of malware/virus warnings by readers
  • some odd Adobe acrobat errors that I got myself when on the site.

Like I said, not much is really visible, and most of it could be attributed to a flaky link or add in.

Once I got into troubleshooting this morning, I also found:

  • Every index.php file had been modified to include an iframe link at the end (even empty ones and ones in unused themes)  (I manually fixed most of these)
  • extra html files added (maybe index or default, can’t remember)  (deleted these)
  • Modifications to the base wordpress files (a clean install fixes these)
  • I couldn’t find any malware on my computer, but I did have a serious computer crash/issues a while back, which could have been malware related.

I think that was all I found.. hopefully that was the extent.  In addition to fixing the above, I changed ftp and website account passwords (especially since multiple sites under the same account were impacted), as well as WP admin passwords, downloaded several security plugins.

Eep! Hacked!

If you do have the iframe hack that I had (there have also been issues reported where malicious javascript was added, or malicious users or plugins, so check those too), you’ll need to clean it up.
First clean your own computer of malware, as directed above. You may also want to go deeper. If you’re using WordPress, you’ll need to reinstall WP, and manually clean up your wpcontent directory, and check every theme. Download fresh copies of your theme from the source, or edit the files manually. If you have a custom theme, manually delete any changes, or upload from backups. Disable plugins and either re-download or manually check.  In my case, all the bad stuff happened on a single date, so I just looked for file/folders with that date to check.   The database is also vulnerable, although I didn’t see any issues with mine.  One of the links below has a SQL statement you can run to check for some common issues.

If you’re running multiple sites, don’t forget to check them all.  I even had the issue show up on my test blog site.

You’ll want to change all your site related passwords, particularly your FTP password. Make sure you’re using a good password (numbers, letters, special characters, caps). You also want to notify your ISP that you’ve been hacked to see if they can check for anything you’ve missed.

Whew! Not me!

If you don’t currently have a virus, do take a few minutes RIGHT NOW (or asap) to download / backup your entire site. Life will be easier then if you are hit with one.  And if you’re running WordPress, upgrade to the latest version.  There were some security flaws in the previous (this wasn’t my issue, I was on the latest).

Anyway, since I’ve spent much of the day Thursday fixing this site, the Dabbled|Studios site, plus 2 client sites, I was less than productive with anything Halloween related, so sorry bout that.  But this counts as scary, right?? [Actually, stay tuned, your regularly scheduled Halloween Pumpkin Carving post will be up shortly!]

If this happens to you, here are some additional writeups to help, and google “iframe hack” for more information.  I’m sure I haven’t covered it all here, and i’m not a security expert by any means.

Resources in case you’ve been hacked:

http://wordpress.org/support/topic/281767
http://blog.unmaskparasites.com/2009/04/29/another-type-of-iframe-hack-php-exploit/
http://blog.unmaskparasites.com/2009/04/15/malicious-income-iframes-from-cn-domains/
http://www.dnxpert.com/2009/07/24/cleaning-up-wordpress-iframe-hack/
http://www.spam-whackers.com/blog/2007/09/27/iframe-hack/
http://smackdown.blogsblogsblogs.com/2008/06/24/how-to-completely-clean-your-hacked-wordpress-installation/
http://codex.wordpress.org/FAQ_My_site_was_hacked

WordPress Blog Security

Good luck!

*Photo credit: ‘MUHAHAHAHAHA – black and white’ was taken by chris runoff

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Halloween Craft: Spooky Tree for $1

By HeatherM | Published October 1, 2009 | Posted in Guest, Halloween, Tutorials/Tips | 4 Comments

hweentreebranch

Hi! I’m Heather from Dollar Store Crafts, a daily blog devoted to making cool crafts with dollar store stuff. I’m so excited to be swapping posts with Dot!

Fall is here, and with it, an abundance of oak leaves and branches in my yard! I love our old-growth oak trees, but they sprinkle me with more presents than I can handle. What to do with nature’s bounty? Craft with it! I spent a couple minutes gathering branches to transform into this spooky Halloween-themed tree. Ornaments are quick and easy: dollar store erasers!

hweentreebranch3

Project Estimate:

  • Tree branches, gathered from outside
  • Halloween erasers, $1
  • Ribbon, on hand
  • Acrylic craft paint, on hand
  • A mug, cup, jar, etc., on hand
  • Floral foam, on hand (or use playdough or dried beans)
  • Hot glue, on hand

Total cost: $1 and up

hweenornaments

Making the Ornaments: My biggest stroke of crafting genius happened when I was in the checkout line at the dollar store: the impulse buys near the counter included a set of Halloween erasers. Perfect for ornaments for my tree. I found ribbon to attach to them in my stash, but you can also use yarn, thread, embroidery floss, or whatever you have. I glued the ribbon to the backs of the erasers with hot glue (I pressed the ribbon into the glue using the tip of a pencil, thus avoiding the typical hot glue finger burn scenario!).

You can also just make your own ornaments out of paper cut outs, or other dollar store Halloween decorations you come across. I think it would be really cute to accent the tree with tulle bows in black, purple, or orange, but I was trying to keep this really simple and low-budget, and I don’t have any in my stash.

hweenbranches

Painting the Branches: I chose to use acrylic craft paint for this project–it’s usually my go-to painting solution for dollar store crafting because it’s cheap, comes in a ton of colors, and is easy to clean up. Craft stores have acrylic paint in small bottles for about $.50 or less, and usually have hundreds of colors. The main drawback to using acrylic is that it will take you a bit of time: it’s easy, but it takes a few minutes. Like about fifteen minutes, depending on how many branches. I just put my branches on a paper towel and painted them.  Oh, and I kept one leaf on a branch just because I thought it might be spooky. I just painted it along with the branch, and I really like how it turned out!

However, it would be quick and simple to use spray paint to paint the branches. You could probably be done painting in about two minutes if you use spray paint. I glanced at the spray paint aisles at my local stores, but I didn’t find the color I wanted (chartreuse), and all the fashiony colors were more expensive than I wanted for this project. You can find black or white spray paint at your local big-box retailer for less than a dollar, though!

hweentreebranch2

Potting the Tree: I used a dollar store mug I already had on hand to pot the tree. You can use pretty much any sturdy container, though: jars, flower pots, vases, etc. I don’t have any floral foam on hand, so I filled the mug up with dried split peas and stuck the branches in. This works to keep the branches fairly upright, but they did shift around with the slight weight of the eraser ornaments. This method might work better if you are using lightweight paper ornaments. Also, I have little kids, so there’s no way I’m actually going to leave a decoration out with tiny loose objects within easy reach because they know how to reach messy town in seconds! Another good option is to put playdough in the container to anchor your branches. You can make your own for pennies (my favorite no-cook playdough recipe is in the first comment in this Instructables tutorial).

hweentree

You can customize this project any way you want, but it could be a fun one for kids (just do the hot glue part yourself).

Thanks, Heather, for sharing!  I’ll be visiting Dollar Store Crafts next week to share a Dabbled project! – Dot

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Dabbled Halloween 09 Begins!

By Dot | Published September 30, 2009 | Posted in craft, food, recent | 3 Comments

See All Halloween Posts

halloween-botHalloween is the favorite holiday around here, so stay tuned for lots of fabulous halloween food, costumes, ideas and so much more. I’m trying to decide if we’re doing a contest this year–it was great last year. You guys up for it!?

Here at Dabbled we’ll have lots of new (and old) stuff, but here are a few other sources you should check out!

To start you off, check out some of these great compilation posts at Superpunch:

And here’s a roundup of tips from the always clever Parenthacks

If you’re feeling competitive–or just want some good ideas– try the Make mag Halloween Contest, or check out their recent Halloween Posts

And Dollar Store Crafts has an excellent Halloween decor Roundup.

You can always check out what we did at Dabbled last year (and this year), too:

  • http://dabbled.org/category/halloween

    • (or see some of the related posts, below!)

    Have a Halloween related tutorial you’d like to submit? Email Dot [at] dabbled [dot] org!

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    Illustration Friday Reloaded!

    By Dot | Published September 29, 2009 | Posted in art, my art | 5 Comments

    I did get around to coloring at least part of my Sketchbook drawings for illustration friday this week. Sorry, haven’t done the patterned pants yet! Oddly enough, I drew these two robots as two separate sketches, two different takes on the pattern theme. But they looked so cute together in my sketchbook, i figured they belonged together in one illo. (See the Sketches)

    This week's Illustration Friday, colored

    This week's Illustration Friday, colored

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    Sketchbook – (IF Pattern)

    By Dot | Published September 28, 2009 | Posted in art, my art | 3 Comments

    In the true spirit of Illustration Friday (yeah, I know it’s Monday) I just started sketching what came into my head for the prompt of “Pattern”. So a Frankenrobot with patterned pants… A robot holding a pattern… A robot thinking a pattern of 1′s and 0′s… Hopefully I’ll get around to coloring these soon! (If so, I’ll post an IF update!) … oh and in case you missed it, here’s the info about my watercolors in the MoS in Boston.

    EDIT: Here are a couple of them, Colored!

    pattern-if

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