Scary Pumpkin Art

More pumpkins, this time specially-themed ones!

Strange Random Scary Quote:

Hold on, man. We don’t go anywhere with “scary,” “spooky,” “haunted,” or “forbidden” in the title. – From Scooby-Doo

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Halloween: Pumpkin Carving and Decorating Ideas | Martha Stewart

Whether you’re carving, decorating, or using this classic fall gourd for Halloween inspiration, our pumpkin ideas will excite you all season.Grouped together on the mantel, Drac-o’-lantern and tiny winged pals create a Transylvanian scene. Run-of-the-mill pushpins turn into devilish red eyes.

via Halloween: Pumpkin Carving and Decorating Ideas | Martha Stewart.

Strange Random Pumpkin Quote:

“Men are like pumpkins. It seems like all the good ones are either taken or they’ve had everything scraped out of their heads with a spoon.” – Anon.

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Halloween Worldwide at Flickr – Halloweek part 4!

See the full group slideshow here
A couple of creepy photos for this 4th instalment of Halloweek, from the Halloween Worldwide group at Flickr.

First of all, the Haserot Angel from Cleveland, Ohio. Click on the photo to see the full-size version on Flickr.

Lake View’s most famous piece of graveside sculpture stands atop the grave of Francis Haserot and his family, near the Mark Hanna mausoleum at the edge of the cemetery proper. [........]

What’s clear is that the Haserots’ skill in shipping big cans of food is surpassed only by their impeccable taste in art. The statue at their cemetery plot was sculpted in 1924 by Herman Matzen.

The name I’ve always heard attached to the piece is “The Angel of Death Victorious.” The angel has his hands folded atop something that most people mistakenly call a sword. It would make sense, but in this case he’s holding an upside down torch, symbolizing a life extinguished. His pose is creepy enough, but the years have streaked his bronze skin and caused tears of discolored metal to stream from his blank eyes.

Want some interesting information regarding the “haunting” of the Haserot Angel?
Visit: paranormalinsider.com/2007/10/the_haserot_angel.php

Secondly, this very colourful and autumnal shot from Helsinki:

You can find a link to the full sideshow at the top of the page – recommended viewing, in our opinion. More tomorrow!

Strange Random Graveyard Quote:

“Prophets were twice stoned – first in anger; then, after their death, with a handsome slab in the graveyard” -   Christopher Morley (American writer and editor, 1890-1957)

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Halloween Traditions in Ireland – Halloweek, part 3!

Image via Wikipedia

Last year about this time we posted a list of sites where you can find out about the origins of Halloween, stemming from the Irish festival of Samhain, or the Feast of the Dead. So we thought it would be  an interesting idea to find an explanation for some of the traditions from an Irish perspective – Ireland Information.Com has a special page dedicated to Halloween, including information about Colcannon, Barnbrack Cake and the ever-popular Jack O’Lantern:

The Pumpkin: Carving Pumpkins dates back to the eighteenth century and to an Irish blacksmith named Jack who colluded with the Devil and was denied entry to Heaven. He was condemned to wander the earth but asked the Devil for some light. He was given a burning coal ember which he placed inside a turnip that he had gouged out.

The tradition of Jack O’Lanterns was born – the bearer being the wandering blacksmith – a damned soul. Villagers in Ireland hoped that the lantern in their window would keep the wanderer away. When the Irish emigrated in millions to America there was not a great supply of turnips so pumpkins were used instead.

And if you’ve ever wondered what it feels like to be a pumpkin (and let’s be honest, who hasn’t?), then you’ll like this short film, The Life and Death of a Pumpkin, winner of Best Short Film and Best Concept at the 2006 Chicago Horror Film Festival.

Strange Random Pumpkin Quote:

“Men are like pumpkins. It seems like all the good ones are either taken or they’ve had everything scraped out of their heads with a spoon.” – Unknown

 

 

 

amhain, ‘All Hallowtide’

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Keep that wolf at the door with Halloween recipes – Halloweek part 2

Continuing our look at interesting sites for Halloween ideas, we turn our focus to food, a subject that is very close to our hearts (or should we say our stomachs?)  here in the office.

We started with a general Google search for “Halloween recipes with pictures” and as you can see, there are plenty of goodies to choose from. The ubiquitous pumpkin is a favourite, of course, but we liked some of the more creative and thematic dishes, such as these two:

From the Food Network website comes Vampire Blood Tomato soup with Muenster Cheese sandwiches. First, catch your vampires …. no, just joking, but the recipe does call for garlic and onions, so make sure you’re among friends or you may find yourself “exorcised”. Click on the photo (right) for more information and the full recipe.

The second gruesome gourmet dish we liked the look of was Eyeball Tacos at VisualRecipes.com. The main idea is the same as making ordinary tacos, but topped with cream and sliced black olives. If any of your friends or family claim that their dinner is looking at them in a funny way, then for once, they’re probably right …

Bela Lugosi

More in Halloweek part 3!

 

Strange Random Vampire Quote:

I have never met a vampire personally, but I don’t know what might happen tomorrow.  – Bela Lugosi

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