Martha Is Just So Darn Crafty! (The Magic of Martha #1)

I have a confession to make - not all of the decorations I use during Halloween are designed and crafted by me (like the Halloween Tree) or are store-bought (be sure to check out the new products from Spirit online if you haven't already done so!) Some of the best ideas are from... wait for it... Martha Stewart! No joke! I actually anticipate her Halloween issue, which is chock full of really nifty decorating ideas, so I am starting a new segment on La Vie Macabre, and it is called "The Magic of Martha"! Each post, I will share a tutorial, recipe, idea, or inspiration photos from Martha Stewart's Halloween section on her website.

One of my personal favorites from a past issue (Halloween Issue 2004, to be exact) can be found at her website's Halloween Central, which has hundreds of pictures of her own creepy creations. It is called the Head Waiter Tray, and this serving tray is a sure fire way to make your next gathering a bit creepier.

You Will Need:

• 10 paper towels (crumpled)
• Enough swaths of gauze to cover the display surface of the tray
• Brewed coffee or strong black tea
• Two tablespoons flour
• One tablespoon corn syrup or Mod Podge glue
• Craft stick
• Styrofoam head (A cheap one can be purchased at Sally's Beauty online for $3.99)

You will start by dipping the paper towels and gauze in the coffee or tea, wringing them out of they don't have any extra liquid, crumpling them up, and leaving them to dry for a couple of days while they are still crumpled. You will have to wait two days or so before they dry, but when they do, you mix the solution of two tablespoons flour, one tablespoon tea or coffee, and one tablespoon of corn syrup or Mod Podge. Mix the ingredients together with a craft stick, and you apply the mixture in a thin layer on one section of the head. This is when you take the dried paper towels, uncrumple them, tear them into smaller pieces or strips, and spread over the section of the head. Repeat until the head is covered, and then arrange the gauze at the base of the head on the tray. You are now ready to serve your guests in a scary style!

If you want more detailed instructions or would rather watch an instructional video, here is the original post on Martha's website.

First Encounters With Horror

I was recently talking to a friend about the first time we saw a horror/thriller movie and how old we were. She recalls being frightened by the first horror movie she saw and not being able to sleep for many nights afterwards, but I had a very different experience.

Even though I don't know which one I saw first, the first horror/thriller films that I watched were Psycho (1960) and The Sixth Sense (1999). I saw them about the same time when I was about seven years old, and I remember watching them in the comfort of my own living room with my parents. They warned me before both movies that they weren't real and that they could turn it off if I got scared, but to their surprise, I loved them.

What were the first horror movies that you saw as a child, and how old were you?

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog, La Vie Macabre! It is a blog dedicated to the stranger and darker things in life, from ghosts to skulls to dark magic to Halloween. The blog's name came from a stroke of inspiration that I had while listening to the song Danse macabre by the French composer Camille Saint-Saëns (see video below, you might want to pause music player at bottom of page also if you haven't already done so.)

Danse macabre roughly translates to "Dance of Death" in English, and as poetic as that is, I didn't want to name my blog a name that is commonly used, from paintings to books to music to poetry. That is when I thought of La Vie Macabre, which translates to "Life of Death", a phrase that seems to contradict itself, but illustrates my fascination with the weird, mystical, and dead. Hopefully through this blog I will share with you my own life of death, and I hope that you will enjoy!