X-Files Darkness Falls Cake

Materials:

*Cake mix of your choice
*Green frosting of you choice
*White baking chocolate
*Green sugar crystals
*Skeleton mold
*Marshmallows

Directions:

*Prepare and frost the cake.

*Melt the white chocolate according to the package directions and pour into the mold.  Let harden.

*Once hardened, pop the white chocolate skeleton pieces out of the mold.

*Melt a marshmallow slightly and pull apart to get spider web like strands of marshmallow.  Wind these around the pieces of the skeleton.  I was using vegan marshmallows, so they didn't melt super well and I only managed to create a few strands, but if you're using non-vegan marshmallows, you'll probably have better luck.

*Place the skeleton stop the cake.

*Sprinkle green sugar crystals over the skeleton to create little green bugs.

X-Files Darkness Falls Birthday Party

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     The X-Files has been one of my favorite shows since I was a kid.  I have a memory of watching it with my my dad when I was about nine or so while my sister hid in the laundry corner with mom.  I've always liked the monster-a-week standalone episodes better than the alien ones, and my favorite episode is "Darkness Falls," wherein luminescent mites exsanguinate people at nightfall.  I've thought about hosting an X-Files themed party for a while now, but this was the time I finally got around to it.  If X-Files seems a little creepy for a birthday party theme, you could also use this idea for a Halloween party.
     I hosted my party this past Saturday.  I've been a bit busy this summer so far, so I didn't get a chance to decorate as much as I would like to have.  Instead, I decided to focus on my favorite episode, "Darkness Falls," and picked some key elements from that episode to recreate.
     Over the next few weeks, I'll be showing you how I made the decorations, costumes, and cake for the party.  But for now, here's a brief overview of the party.

     As far as decorations went, I only made two for the party: a cocooned skeleton and green vinyl mites.  In the episode, Scully and Mulder happen upon a giant cocoon, only to discover an exsanguinated human corpse inside.  The culprits behind this cocoon are little green bugs.  While they are present during the day, they remain inactive until the lights go out.  The cocoon and the bugs are the two details from the episode that stick out the most to me, so those were the things I attempted to replicate.

     Brian and I dressed up as Scully and Mulder for the party.  I've been wanting to dress as Dana Scully for a while, but her hair has always been an obstacle.  She's known for her signature red bob, whereas my hair is long and not red.  I finally found a way to pull it off.

     For food, we had a lot of pizza, as well as cake and ice cream.  I had found some vegan marshmallows and was planning on making smores as an activity, but it slipped my mind.  I didn't plan any activities this year, so we mostly just hung out, but it was a lot of fun anyway.

     I hope you enjoyed this post.  Stay tuned for more!

Horror Pocket Pals: A Nightmare on Elm Street Nancy Thompson Plushie

     Nancy Thompson from A Nightmare on Elm Street is one of my favorite protagonists, so naturally I had to make a plushie of her.  I chose Nancy's look from her final showdown with Freddy, the scene in which she vanquishes him - at least temporarily.  In that scene she's wearing pajamas with floral embroidery.  I couldn't replicate the actual embroidery on her pajamas, so I decided to go with some fairly simplistic flowers to give a similar vibe.  I also included the bandage she had been wearing since she burned herself in her dream.  You'll notice I have her streak of gray hair in my template, but not on my plushie.  I intended to include it, but forgot to.  For this reason, it's not mentioned in the tutorial, but you could easily make it using gray felt or embroidery floss.

Materials:

*Brown felt
*White felt
*Peach felt
*Black buttons
*Black embroidery floss
*Pink embroidery floss
*Yellow embroidery floss
*Green embroidery floss
*Sewing needle
*Brown thread
*White thread
*Peach thread
*Metallic marker
*Scissors
*Stuffing

Directions:

*Print out the template given below:

*Cut two body pieces from peach felt, the two hair parts from brown felt, two copies of the pajamas from white felt, and two copies of Nancy's bandage from white felt, as shown below.

*Sew two black buttons onto one of the body pieces to make eyes.  Embroider on a mouth.

*Embroider flowers onto the pajamas.

*Sew pajamas onto the body pieces.

*Sew hair onto the body pieces.

*Sew together the two body pieces using a blanket stitch.  Leave an opening in the top of the plushie's head for stuffing.

*Stuff and sew closed.

Flower Crown

Materials:

*Floral wire
*Artificial flowers
*Floral tape
*All purpose adhesive
*Wire cutters
*Ribbon in colors of your choice

Directions:

*Create a loop of wire that sits comfortably on your head.

*Add flowers to the loop.  If your flowers don't come already affixed to wire, as mine didn't, you can place the flowers on bits of floral wire and use that to attach them to the loop.  If the flowers fit loosely on the wire, use a little glue to hold them in place.

*Add as many flowers as you like, leaving some space at the back of the crown for the ribbon.

*Wrap with floral tape.

*Cut a length of ribbon double the length you want it to be on your crown.

*Fold the piece of ribbon in half.

*Place the folded ribbon so that the top of the ribbon (where the fold is) is beneath the crown.

*Pull the ends around the crown and through the loop created between the ribbon and crown.

*Repeat with other strands of ribbon.

Uranium-238 Decay Series Nail Art

     On May 8th I gave my dissertation proposal.  Since my proposal was on radiometric dating, I thought it would be fun to style my nails based on the uranium-238 decay series.  I was waiting to write the post until after I passed my defense because I can be a bit superstitious and didn't want to jinx myself.  I am pleased to report that I did indeed pass, so as soon as I turn in my paperwork, I will officially be a PhD candidate.

Me at the end of my talk.

     I tried to match my nail colors to the colors of the elements.  However, a lot of the elements in the uranium-238 decay series are gray or silver, so I took liberties in some instances for a wider variety of colors.  If you're planning on being somewhere at night with these nails, glow in the dark nail polish could add a fun twist to this manicure.

Materials:

*Nail polish in radioactive colors of your choice
*Nail art pen

Directions:

*Paint your nails in the color scheme that you deem appropriate.

*Using the nail art pen, write radioisotopes of your choice on your nails.  Since my dissertation work focuses a lot on lead-210, I chose part of the decay series that would include lead-210, but use whatever part of the decay series that appeals to you.

"Drink Me" and "Pixie Dust" Pendant Necklaces

    Add a subtle touch of Wonderland or Neverland to your style with these necklaces.

Materials:

*Small vial
*Glitter (blue for "drink me" or olive green for "pixie dust")
*Twine
*Glue
*Labels (see this post for instructions on making aged labels)

Directions:

*Fill a vial most of the way with glitter.

*Glue the cork to the vial.

*Glue on a label.  (See this post for instructions on making an aged label.)

*Wrap twine around the neck of the vial to form the necklace part.  Make sure to use enough twine that the necklace can slip over your head easily.

Book Pendant Necklace

     Show your love of books with these adorable book pendant necklaces.

Materials:

*Mini book (see this tutorial on one technique for making mini books)
*Jump ring
*Jewelry chain
*Jewelry clasp
*Pliers
*Sewing needle

Directions:

*Create or procure your mini book (see this tutorial for one technique for making mini books).

*Carefully poke a hole in the spine of the book toward the top of the spine.

*Open a jump ring and slide it through the hole you have created.

*Add the book pendant to the jewelry chain and close the jump ring around the chain.

*Add clasps to the ends of the jewelry chain.