Hallowe'en costume and crafts

I'm a bit behind the times, but here's what I did and made for Hallowe'en.

Shoddy nail art! I'm pretty happy with how the right hand turned out, given that I'm right-handed and used the easy ones on my left hand.

The first pumpkin I have carved in years! I carved it the Friday before Hallowe'en, then forgot about it until Hallowe'en night, by which time it had gone too soft to lift the lid off and light a candle inside for full effect. Woops.

Cupcakes! The recipe is from the Moosewood recipe book, with added almond and raspberries, the icing is vanilla buttercream, and I bought the toppers in Fallon and Byrne. This was my first time using food colouring in a good many years, and I added to much to the red, but this had the result of making it look like viscera while not tasting or feeling any different. Accidental success!

I dressed up as Harry Potter! I couldn't find a red and yellow tie, so I got a red one and wound a yellow ribbon around it. I got green contacts, which had a fairly narrow gap for the iris, obscuring my vision, and borrowed a pair of my mother's old glasses, which blurred my vision even without the contacts, so really I think the fact that I didn't drop or break anything is a success story.

I used rigid collodion for the scars, after becoming smitten with this tutorial. Because I did it in a rush, and the scars I was applying were rather fine, it didn't turn out quite as well, but I was happy enough. I used lip-liner to draw the scar on the back of my hand, and concealer for the lightning bolt. Apart from the shine, which I couldn't fully take away with powder foundation, they looked quite good.

I should probably end this with "and on to Christmas knitting!" but I have most of my Christmas knitting done, actually. Not to brag or anything. Just saying.

Title Chapters for Harry Potter agus an Órcloch

For my own entertainment.

Harry Potter agus an Órchloch : Harry Potter and the the Stone of Gold*

Caibidil 1: An Gasúr a Tháinig Slán : The Young Boy Who Arrived Safe/Got Through Safe

Caibidil 2: An Ghloine a d'Imigh As : The Glass That Disappeared (From Itself)

Caibidil 3: Na Litreacha : The Letters

Caibidil 4: Coimeádaí na hEochracha : Keeper of the Keys

Caibidil 5: Go Diagon Alley : To Diagon Alley

Caibidil 6: An Turas ó Ardán a Naoi agus Trí Ceathrú : The Trip From Platform Nine and Three Quarters

Caibidil 7: An Hata Sórtala : The Hat of Sorting

Caibidil 8: Máistir na bPosóidí : Master of Potions

Caibidil 9: Comhrac ar Uair an Mheán Oíche : Action** at the Hour of Midnight

Caibidil 10: Oíche Shamhna : Hallowe'en

Caibidil 11: Quidditch : Quidditch

Caibidil 12: Scathán na Mianta : The Mirror of Wishes***

Caibidil 13: Nicolas Flamel : Nicolas Flamel

Caibidil 14: Dragan Dronnach na hIorua :  The Hump-Backed Dragon from Norway

Caibidil 15: An Fhoraois Thoirmiscthe : The Forbidden Forest

Caibidil 16: Tríd an gComhla Síos : Through the Downward Door

Caibidil 17: Fear an Dá Aghaidh : The Man of Two Faces

This isn't meant as jab of the "haw haw, look at Irish trying to be relevant, I didn't work at Irish in school because I'm incredibly cool and interesting, a fact I will prove by monologuing about how I like to not work at things" sort****. I think it's fantastic that wee small Gaeilgeoirí can read Harry Potter as Gaeilge! I just think it's interesting to wonder how much nuance I've missed by reading translations of books, and how clunky English translations sound to speakers of the original language.

Time to learn every language in the world, just in case.

* But not made of gold, pertaining to gold.

** But strategic action, like in chess.

*** Jesus, lads! Spoilers!

**** I have opinions about people who think that not making an effort is somehow an interesting personality trait. If I'm honest, it's just one opinion. You don't want to work at a thing? Cool! Don't! I am probably not interested in your spiel supporting your (in)actions.

It wasn't fair that he be trapped in the Áras.

The other day I got talking with my sister about selling at craft markets.

"I've made most useful things for everyone who's close enough to get handmade presents. This way I get to make more anyway, or make things I want to make but don't know who to give to, and I get some money from it."

"Yeah, that's a better solution than 'Hi, I'm Jenny, we're friends now, here's a hat.'

'Sorry, Mister President, we don't know how she got in. It won't happen again.' "

" 'Here's a hat, YOU'RE FREE NOW!' "

(For the non-Irish who read this, this is Michael D. Higgins, current president of Ireland. This is one of the parody posters that went around during last year's election. I think jibes about a politician's appearance - or anyone's - are the epitome of cheap shots, but Dobby's soul is so noble. Everyone loves Dobby. There's no malice there. Incidentally, the competition in that election included a man who has had people murdered. Irish politics is a strange area.)

Shoddy costumery: Tonks!

I wasn't going to post this because it wasn't very good, but I have been looking through lots of cosplay pictures, and am trying to put together something respectable for this, and have a renewed hankering to dress up as things.  It's a pity Ireland doesn't do cosplay conventions.

So!  My college do-gooder group had a Harry Potter party two weeks ago, and I went as Tonks.  I wasn't going to post the pictures as both the costume and the photos weren't up to much - I forgot about it until the day before, and had to do everything in a rush - but it's also the first time I've dressed as as a specific character in quite a while, so I may as well document so I have something to mark progress against.

Pro:  I have short hair!  Tonks has short hair!  I like an excuse to do silly things with my hair!

Con: I brought glitter spray, not colour spray.  The fault lies entirely with me for shopping in Claire's and also for being unable to read labels at twenty-one, especially having just finished up the guts of a year working in a lab.  (Incidentally, gloves are for whiners who don't respect the environment, and should my hands be this colour?) I tried to make up for it by loading on the glitter, in the hope that a layer of pink glitter would look pink.  It did not.

Pro:  I borrowed a wand from a girl in my class (she says it was a gift).  As I was leaving my room, I heard someone coming up the stairs.  Not wanting to look ridiculous, I hid the wand up my sleeve.  Nothing like it for feeling like a wizard.

Con: That is a terrible photo and asking people to take photos of me  makes me feel too narcissistic to do more than once.

Con: Those shorts should ideally be black.  (They were jeans in a previous incarnation, but I was wearing them while walking the Camino de Santiago in first year, and it was unseasonably war.)  I might have dyed them if I'd had the time.

Pro: People understood who I was meant to be!  I think this is a victory as I based the costume on my perception of her in the books, which was quite tomboyish, whereas the films were not so.

Pro: I went to the club as it was free in, and spent the entire time sitting in the corridor around the side having a Harry Potter trivia contest with fellow do-gooders and some strangers who came just for the Harry Potter.

Costume:  

Black string top

Black pinstriped underbust corset

Black shirt

Black waistcoat borrowed from my boyfriend

Cut-off denim shorts

Ripped black tights

Unlaced black Doc Martens

I think it was alright for a rush job, though the hairspray was disappointing.  I already have PLANS for October and Hallowe'en, so hopefully I can make people have costume parties!

Fangirlism

So I saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 for the very first time this weekend (I am a rubbish fan-girl, again), and this is just the sweetest scene.

Bonus: Nick Cave's voice!

This weekend, I will hopefully get to see Deathly Hallows Part 2.  Will be so disappointed if I don't get to see the last film in the cinema, since I missed the last two.

The boy who lived, come to die...

Slytherin scarf!  (Request was for something like this.)  Pretty rubbish photos - I finished this at one in the morning on the day it was due (for an evening Harry Potter premiere), so have crummy better-take-photos-in-case-I-don't-get-another-chance photos in my room's light, and had a meeting in work the next morning so didn't get that chance.  I'm psychic!

One photo in decent natural light...

Tassels!

I need a haircut and would make a good indie boy.

My mirror has stuff all over it, so it's not  great for photos, but here's the length of it (it's for someone a little shorter than I am), and also my PJs!

From when I was eleven to eighteen I knit hardly anything but plain garter stitch scarves.  There's something a little comforting and friendly about going back to it.

Now I'm going to watch Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince for the first time.  I am a terrible fan-girl.  And soon I will be all caught up and then I can go to the cinema for the last one.  I am excited!