Category: Spooktober2020

10/20/2020

MY TOP 7 FAVORITE HALLOWEEN/DIA DE LOS MUERTOS DECORATIONS

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As we approach Halloween, I'm getting more and more excited to continue to share content. I'm so happy to show off all things spooky and creepy.

Today, I thought I would share with you seven of my favorite decor pieces and tell you where I got them from or how I made them. Let's do it!

1. SQUAD GOALS PAINTING

This is something that Jonathan and I DIY'd a few Halloweens back. He is a great artist, and I'm OK with coloring inside the lines.

After he drew out the design, I colored it in using some acrylic paint. I believe we got all of our materials from Hobby Lobby.

I like Hobby Lobby because they almost always have a sale on, or a coupon you can use to get a good discount on your materials. We got a huge pack of these smaller canvases for a pretty small amount of money. I'm a huge Hocus Pocus fan, so I was beyond excited when he agreed to draw it out for me!

2. SUNFLOWER SKULL DIY

Another DIY decoration I made was this sunflower skull. I created this by purchasing a hallow plastic skull from Old Time Pottery and getting some floral foam and plastic sunflowers from Walmart.

All I did was cut a hole in the top of the head and slip the floral foam inside of that hole. Then, I just placed the flowers in the foam so it looks like flowers are coming out of the top.

Sunflowers are my favorite flowers, and skulls are my favorite type of decoration. I was super happy to make this DIY, and it is super simple. Go on over to www.YouTube.com/gemusiclover to find my DIY video on this!

3. SKELETON WALL TAPESTRY

This guy stays up year-round in my office space. I saw this tapestry last year and had to have it. I found it on Rosegal.com, which also sells a top of holiday clothing for all shapes and sizes.

They have a small home decor section, which has a number of cool items for your home.

I personally love the flowers and the nonchalant peace sign that the skeleton is throwing up.

I think it is beautiful, and I think skeletons and skulls are beautiful in general, since they are real and living inside of us! That probably sounded weird, but I love the beauty of the human body, down to the bones!

4. SUGAR SKULLS AND ARM CANDLE HOLDERS

Sugar skulls are just so beautiful to me. I have always adored the cultures which celebrate Dia de los Muertos, and the various traditions they celebrate. These pieces didn't come together, but I paired them together because it just made sense with this sugar skull.

I got these pieces from A.C. Moore, and the candles I purchased from The Christmas Tree Shoppe.

5. OOGIE BOOGIE PAINTING

Another DIY creation, Jonathan drew out Oogie Boogie from The Nightmare Before Christmas for this painting.

I think that this movie is one of Jonathan's favorite Halloween/Christmas movies when it comes to animated films.

While he did a great job drawing this, it is clear that the paint strokes are uneven, which is on me! However, it is less noticeable in person. I just adore the things that we make together. It is always fun to sit down and create something hands-on with one another.

6. RAINBOW SKULL BOTTLE

This is a bottle that is shaped like a skull. When I first saw it in A.C. Moore, I fell in love with it.

We have chosen to keep the bottle empty, but I'm sure you could fill it with sand or something else.

The bottle is sealed with a cork, which could easily be removed. This is a glass container, so it is pretty sturdy.

I am happy to have this skull as a part of my collection. It is a cheery version of an otherwise rather gruesome part of the body, I guess, which is why I like it so much.

7. DIY RHINESTONE SKULL

Last one!

I created this guy and he is certainly looking a little worse for wear lately. This is actually the same exact skull as the sunflower one. All I did was paint is with acrylic paint and place rhinestones on this teeth, in his eye sockets, and on his head.

I will suggest spray painting plastic items with white spray paint first. You can paint it just with the acrylic paint, but it will take a lot longer to stick and a lot more coats of paint for it to be vibrant enough.

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10/16/2020

4 WAYS YOU CAN GIVE OUT CANDY THIS HALLOWEEN (COVID SAFE)

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As Halloween approaches, several people are probably wondering how they can participate in the Halloween spirit by handing out candy to trick-or-treaters. In today's post, I'll offer up some ways you can do this that are all COVID safe!

1. MAKE A PVC PIPE SHOOT

This idea has been making its rounds on social media for quite some time, but I wanted to share it in case some haven't heard of it yet. All you do is get a PVC pipe and cut it to the length of your porch-step railings.

When the trick-or-treater approaches, have them position their bucket under the opening of the pipe on there end. Slide the candy through the pipe and the trick-or-treaters can go on their merry way!

2. PICK A NUMBER

Instead of giving out individual pieces of candy this year, you could instead give out little treat bags. You have more options to fill these with, besides candy. You can find Halloween pencils, erasers, rings, and small toys at your local dollar store.

Safely assemble your treat bags ahead of time and add numbers to them. Lay the treat bags out in the yard and have the children pick a number. They can then find the bag with their number on it and pick it up without contaminating the other bags.

You will need to know about how many trick-or-treaters you have to know how many treat bags to prepare.

3. DRIVE THROUGH TRICK-OR-TREATING

This would be a great idea for whole communities to participate in! It would work much like the drive-through graduations. Wearing gloves and masks, the children can hold their buckets out of the car window to receive candy from each house.

This will become a fun costume parade and will allow children to be comfortably seated in the car. No more whining about their feet hurting!

4. SKIP TRICK-OR-TREATING AND DO A SCAVENGER HUNT FOR CANDY WITHIN YOUR FAMILY

Probably the safest thing to do this Halloween is to keep the festivities at home! Play games like a scavenger hunt or party games to win candy, or just give it out and watch a fun movie.

Either way, your family will have a blast!

MAKE SURE TO CHECK AND SANITIZE CANDY!

Along with your usual candy check, please be sure to sanitize the candy wrappers before handing it over to your kid! Here are some guidelines:

No Munching Rule: Kids will want to open a piece of their candy (or 10 pieces) to enjoy before you get home. Don't let them!
Put on gloves and sift through the candy when you get home. Pick out any pieces that are open or seem to have been tampered with and throw them away.
Use a cleaning wipe on the outside of the candy. After wiping it down, do no touch it with your gloves again, as these are now contaminated. This means you may need two people for this process.
Let your child enjoy!

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10/15/2020

FAVORITE PAST HALLOWEEN LOOKS AND COSTUMES

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TIM BURTON-INSPIRED LOOK

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A post shared by Gabbie (@gemusiclover) on Sep 25, 2020 at 5:27am PDT

I have adored this black-and-white-striped skirt since the day I got it. It is super comfortable and made of a stretchier fabric.

If you're a bigger girl like me, you should look for clothing items with stripes going vertically instead of horizontally. This makes you look taller and thinner. That was just a quick tip for all my fashion-loving ladies with bigger hips!

I paired it with some white slip-on shoes, kind of like Vans, and a black 3/4 sleeve shirt. I added the bun and the dark lipstick to bring it all together.

I would wear this any time of the year, but it just gives off the right amount of spooky vibes, in my opinion!

HALLOWEEN TOWN DRESS

I just took a photo in this dress again this year, but I actually rocked it for the first time last year. I got this from Rosegal. It is pretty good quality, and was pretty inexpensive.

The hitch with Rosegal is that it takes forever to get your items unless you pay for premium shipping. The best time to shop on this site is either a month or two before the holiday you want items for or after the holiday has ended. If you're someone who wants something special and festive to wear this Christmas, you should check out their site now!

I usually wear between a 24 and 28, depending on the item. They have a great plus-size collection, though most is made from stretchy material. They also have straight-size clothing as well, so it works for everyone!

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A post shared by Gabbie (@gemusiclover) on Oct 31, 2019 at 5:13am PDT

MERMAID FOR TRUNK-OR-TREAT

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A post shared by Gabbie (@gemusiclover) on Oct 28, 2019 at 4:27am PDT

Last year, we had a fun trunk-or-treat event at our church. We go to a pretty large church, so it brought in thousands of trick-or-treaters, which brought me so much joy.

I love handing out candy, but we don't have many trick-or-treaters in our neighborhood, so this was a welcome event for me.

I got the dress from Rosegal as well. I had the shoes and the comfy sweater. I made a sea star hair clip and the shell necklace with some craft items. The triton was made with expanding foam and a shower curtain rod!

I added some "scales" on my face for good measure by using some fishnet stockings and shimmery purple eyeshadow. The kids loved my outfit!

HALLOWEEN FIGURES PRINT DRESS

Yet another favorite from Rosegal, I added a cute little witch hat headband that I found in the dollar section at Target!

This is one of my favorite dresses because it is colorful, but still festive for the holiday. I only really can wear this when it is pretty cold outside, as I get hot really easily.

â€‹Either way, I thought this outfit was really cute, and I can't wait to wear it some time this year. I have no idea where the headband is, though!

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A post shared by Gabbie (@gemusiclover) on Oct 17, 2019 at 4:26am PDT

BEETLEJUICE-INSPIRED MAKE-UP

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A post shared by Gabbie (@gemusiclover) on Sep 30, 2019 at 4:30am PDT

Around this time last year, everyone was going crazy for the new Beetlejuice musical. I still haven't seen it, but I've seen a ton of performances and love the soundtrack.

I think I did this makeup for a TikTok video I did to one of the songs on the soundtrack, actually.

I just used eyeshadow on and black lipstick over my usual makeup routine. In the TikTok, I used the skirt from the first post as a kind of top to mimic Beetlejuice's suit.

I really liked doing this. I wish I were better at makeup. I have the patience to do it, but not much of the talent!

FREDDIE MERCURY-INSPIRED LOOK

So this was not actually taken around Halloween. However, it was a costume that I DIY'ed to death, so I had to share it.

We were invited by a local baseball team to attend a game for free. We chose to go to Queen tribute night.

I went for the FLASH shirt with some aviators. Jonathan simply wore a white undershirt with his jeans. I knew he wouldn't want to be too hot, since it was summer and baseball season!

I've always been a fan of Queen and absolutely loved this look. I was glad to be able to go!

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A post shared by Gabbie (@gemusiclover) on Jun 7, 2019 at 3:55pm PDT

NETFLIX AND CHILL

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A post shared by Gabbie (@gemusiclover) on Oct 31, 2017 at 5:06pm PDT

By far the easiest, this DIY costume was fun for a Halloween night in.

We just bought red and blue sweaters from Walmart as well as iron-on letters. We added puffy paint snowflakes to Jonathan's sweater.

We already had the cute little popcorn boxes, because I'm OBSESSED with popcorn as it is. Jonathan just added a blanket so he looked nice and cozy. A lot of our friends liked this costume, too.

Overall, this was the most comfortable thing ever, and I've worn the Netflix sweater on a ton of other ocassions.

LADY IRON MAN

Please ignore my massive eyebrows. One thing I did with my family was go to comic-con in our city. My mom and brother came out to stay with me and attended! I had these glasses that I think someone bought for me.

You can't see it, but I made a red and yellow tutu. My mom has a picture somewhere, but I can't fine it.

The point was to look like a DIY female version of Iron Man, who is my favorite super hero.

â€‹OMG, I'm cringing looking at my eyebrows though!

CHESHIRE CAT

I know the teeth are awful! This is from college. I used to love to just play with makeup, and I still do. Obviously, there is a filter on this. However, I think it mostly looks OK!

I am pretty sure I just used eyeshadow and maybe the black oil paint you get in one of those costume makeup kits they sell at Walmart.

It looks pretty good to me today, and is probably better than I could have ever done.

BLUES BROTHER

Last one. I think it was Halloween night when my jazz band had a concert, and I had to go perform. Our director told us we could dress up, and a blues brother only seemed fitting for the occasion.

This was me with one of my sorority sisters in our sorority house before I had to leave. I think Greek Life was doing some sort of event that they were also dressing up for. I don't remember what she was, either.

But, I liked this outfit. It was easy and comfortable.

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10/9/2020

MY HALLOWEEN REDBUBBLE DESIGNS YOU MUST CHECK OUT THIS OCTOBER

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If you didn't know, I'm a graphic designer! Am I the best? No! But I love what I do and what I make. Today, I want to share some of my Halloween designs with you. Over on RedBubble, you can purchase everything from stickers to shirts to phone cases!

SHOP/VIEW MY HALLOWEEN COLLECTION ON REDBUBBLE

HORRORS IN THIS HOUSE

We all know about Cardi B's famous song, WAP. This is a playful twist on those lyrics featuring our friend Ghost Face from Scream.

Having this as one of the home decor pieces would be so fun, especially if you're a horror fan. Pictured here is a coaster set, which I think is just perfect!

YOU COULDA HAD A BAD WITCH

Another song pun. What can I say, I can't help myself!

This design features a witch's hat, bubbling cauldron, and spooky smoke. I really like this one because it is pretty simple and, in my opinion, beautifully coordinated.

I love this design for shirts, stickers, and buttons, personally!

SCAREDY CAT

I love black cats! In fact, I always wanted one. Especially because of their connection with all things spooky!

I made the text into the cat's mouth, and gave him nice orange-yellow eyes.

This MacBook case does the design justice!

GET SPOOKED

For those who like more simplistic designs, this Get Spooked design is a nice and simple design perfect for shirts, home decor, and technology accessories.

This floor pillow would be an amazing addition to my couch, as it would for yours. Remember all designs can be applied to different products on RedBubble!

GHOUL GANG (WITH OR WITHOUT GHOST)

Since this saying is a play off of the phrase "girl gang," I thought the ghost was a cute addition. However, I decided to remove it for a second design on the RedBubble which only includes the text.

I think this would be so cute for matching shirts for your girl gang, or your friend group in general.

GET LIT

This design features a pumpkin in a witch's hat on a galaxy background. I thought this was cute, since you light jack-o-lanterns around Halloween.

The apron was a cute feature since I could totally see myself throwing on an apron like this and baking up a storm!

I try to add new designs when I can, but these are the main ones I have in the store right now. I also have a small "glitch" collection that could be fun for Halloween. Please feel free to check out my other designs as well. A portion of every sale goes to me when you purchase from RedBubble!

SHOP/VIEW MY HALLOWEEN COLLECTION ON REDBUBBLE

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lifestyle

MY TOP 7 FAVORITE HALLOWEEN/DIA DE LOS MUERTOS DECORATIONS

1. SQUAD GOALS PAINTING

2. SUNFLOWER SKULL DIY

3. SKELETON WALL TAPESTRY

4. SUGAR SKULLS AND ARM CANDLE HOLDERS

5. OOGIE BOOGIE PAINTING

6. RAINBOW SKULL BOTTLE

7. DIY RHINESTONE SKULL

4 WAYS YOU CAN GIVE OUT CANDY THIS HALLOWEEN (COVID SAFE)

1. MAKE A PVC PIPE SHOOT

2. PICK A NUMBER

3. DRIVE THROUGH TRICK-OR-TREATING

4. SKIP TRICK-OR-TREATING AND DO A SCAVENGER HUNT FOR CANDY WITHIN YOUR FAMILY

MAKE SURE TO CHECK AND SANITIZE CANDY!

FAVORITE PAST HALLOWEEN LOOKS AND COSTUMES

TIM BURTON-INSPIRED LOOK

HALLOWEEN TOWN DRESS

MERMAID FOR TRUNK-OR-TREAT

HALLOWEEN FIGURES PRINT DRESS

BEETLEJUICE-INSPIRED MAKE-UP

FREDDIE MERCURY-INSPIRED LOOK

NETFLIX AND CHILL

LADY IRON MAN

CHESHIRE CAT

BLUES BROTHER

MY HALLOWEEN REDBUBBLE DESIGNS YOU MUST CHECK OUT THIS OCTOBER

HORRORS IN THIS HOUSE

YOU COULDA HAD A BAD WITCH

SCAREDY CAT

GET SPOOKED

GHOUL GANG (WITH OR WITHOUT GHOST)

GET LIT

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Categories

​lifestyle

MY TOP 7 FAVORITE HALLOWEEN/DIA DE LOS MUERTOS DECORATIONS

1. SQUAD GOALS PAINTING

2. SUNFLOWER SKULL DIY

3. SKELETON WALL TAPESTRY

4. SUGAR SKULLS AND ARM CANDLE HOLDERS

5. OOGIE BOOGIE PAINTING

6. RAINBOW SKULL BOTTLE

7. DIY RHINESTONE SKULL

4 WAYS YOU CAN GIVE OUT CANDY THIS HALLOWEEN (COVID SAFE)

1. MAKE A PVC PIPE SHOOT

2. PICK A NUMBER

3. DRIVE THROUGH TRICK-OR-TREATING

4. SKIP TRICK-OR-TREATING AND DO A SCAVENGER HUNT FOR CANDY WITHIN YOUR FAMILY

MAKE SURE TO CHECK AND SANITIZE CANDY!

FAVORITE PAST HALLOWEEN LOOKS AND COSTUMES

TIM BURTON-INSPIRED LOOK

HALLOWEEN TOWN DRESS

MERMAID FOR TRUNK-OR-TREAT

HALLOWEEN FIGURES PRINT DRESS

BEETLEJUICE-INSPIRED MAKE-UP

FREDDIE MERCURY-INSPIRED LOOK

NETFLIX AND CHILL

LADY IRON MAN

CHESHIRE CAT

BLUES BROTHER

MY HALLOWEEN REDBUBBLE DESIGNS YOU MUST CHECK OUT THIS OCTOBER

HORRORS IN THIS HOUSE

YOU COULDA HAD A BAD WITCH

SCAREDY CAT

GET SPOOKED

GHOUL GANG (WITH OR WITHOUT GHOST)

GET LIT

Archives

Categories

lifestyle