Halloween Costume Ideas from Halloweens Past

My sister & I went as Mrs. Roper & Chrissy from Three's Company.

I grew up loving Halloween. We always had a box (or ten) filled with costumes & endless possibilities. Since I'm limited on closet space these days I only have one box of Halloween costumes, luckily I can curate great ideas via Pinterest now. You can find so much inspiration there. I think this Charlie Brown costume would be perfect for my godson & I've always personally wanted to pant my face like this or this.  Check out more of the ideas I found here or peruse these photos from halloweens past (I know they're not the best quality but the ideas are there!).

Morton Salt Girl Halloween Costume

umbrella (alternate options here & here)
yellow frock (alternate options here, here & here)
white tights (alternate options here & here)
yellow flats (alternate options here, here & here)

Here’s a little well-known fact about moi - I love salt. So what could be more perfect for a halloween costume (for me) than being the Morton Salt Girl - probably nothing. The best part about this costume is that you can buy or use pieces that you could wear in a non-costume context (read: in real life). So you’re not just investing in an expensive Halloween costume you’ll never wear again! Grab the links to my picks in the photo caption.

For more Halloween costume ideas check out my past posts here, here & here for inspiration! What will you be for Halloween this year?

Alex & Piper #OITNB Halloween Costumes

basic prison uniform: American Apparel V-Neck in Sand; American Apparel Fleece Pants in Kakhi;
Mossimo Supply Co. Combat Boots from Target in Black
Alex Extras: Tarte Liquid Eyeliner; Hot Topic Faux Black Rimmed Glasses; Asos Long Sleeve White Tee
Piper Extras: Shobha Brow Pencil in Earth; Tarte Matte Lip Tint in Exposed; Asos Grey Long Sleeve Tee.

 

Halloween is coming & I can’t help but day dream of all the different costume options. Usually I dream them up & right after Halloween every year & then I forget them. This year I’m going to document these ideas here.

If you’ve been watching Orange is The New Black on Netflix you’ll recognize this one right away. It’s the perfect duo costume for you & your bestie, especially if one of you is a blonde & the other is a brunette (& if you're not that's what wig are for). This also could be one of the most low maintenance costumes you can wear.  There is minimal makeup & you basically get to wear sweats. I’m in. I’m all about Alex’s cat-eye (& just started loving this eyeliner as of late), so which one of my blonde friends wants to be Piper (all you need is a little brow pencil & a nude lip)?

Oh & bonus points if you don't wash or brush your hair if you want to be really authentic!

Homemade Twix Chocolate Bars

Happy Halloween! I hope you’re doing your fair share of trick & lots of treating today.

I’ll be dressing up for work today & posting on instagram so be sure to check that out here. Halloween, Easter & Valentine’s Day are probably the top three holidays that I associate with candy.  It seemed only fitting to pair up with the folks at Chocoley to bring you this post for homemade twix. Once I figured out what I was doing I had a lot of fun making these (& eating the leftover chocolate out of the bowl!). Plus, I got to try out Chocoley’s Caramel which is pretty much the best way (in my opinion to make caramel - because it’s already made!) & it’s super easy to work with. There was no sugar burnt in my kitchen attempting to make caramel because this stuff is perfect right out of the container. I made my cookies from scratch using Ina Garten’s Shortbread Cookie Recipe but I think if you wanted to use graham crackers or villa wafers as your cookie they would work great too - your twix just might be a little bit bigger or a different shape (round!).  All worth giving a shot.

I think I may love these little wrappers Chocoley sent me the most. They make me feel like I made some legit candy bars. 

Have a spooktacularly sweet day!

2013 Highlights

2013 was full of personal highs & lows, as I'm sure it was for most.  I'm grateful for the life lessons it has taught me & look forward to 2014's possibilities! Thanks for reading this year, I appreciate you! Here were the top 5 favorite posts from 2013 (according to you!):
#5 - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Quinoa
#4 - Easy Homemade Soft Pretzels
#3 - Wholefoods Quinoa Salad
#2 - Easy Butternut Squash
#1 - Halloween Costume Ideas

Last Day to Win!

pumpkin: lacquer; booties; bracelet; bag; collar; dress.  fushia: dress: top; belt; flats; lacquer.  oxblood: lacquer; necklace; bag; sweater; booties; jeans.

Happy Halloween! Today is the last day to enter my Pin To Win Sheswai Lacquer Contest!

How to win:

1. follow sheswai on twitter (@sheswai) & pinterest (pinterest.com/sheswai) 
2. pin the above image on pinterest.com  & add #sheswaigiveaway #heatheromade"to your description.
3. or tweet "i want to win some dark & lovely Sheswai Lacquer. #sheswaigiveaway #heatheromade"

Who will win:

• 3 winners will be selected to win one (1) bottle of Sheswai Lacquer each.  
• You have until Wednesday, October 31st, 2012 to enter.  Contest ends October 31st, 2012 at 11:59pm EST. 
• Winners will be announced Friday, November 2nd, 2012 on HeatherOMade.Blogspot.com. 
•  No cash value.  
• NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THIS CONTEST. BY ENTERING THIS CONTEST, ENTRANTS ACCEPT & AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THESE OFFICIAL RULES. 
• Terms & Conditions apply, please click through for complete rules.

Creamy Double Pumpkin Pasta

I made fresh pumpkin pasta that I posted about last week.  My lovely sister-in-laws were quick to ask what I served it with so I'm sharing that today. I served my pumpkin pasta with a pumpkin sauce. More is more, right?

In my mind, pumpkin sauce was the perfect match for pumpkin pasta.  Don't worry the pumpkin flavor is actually pretty mild but still tasty (read: it doesn't overdo it). If you don't have pumpkin pasta I would still recommend making this sauce (then you can call your dish creamy pumpkin pasta). It's creamy & when you add the fresh veggies like I did it's a pretty healthful dish (yes there is some cream & cheese in there but the bulk of it is veggies - so eat up!).

P.S. Happy Halloween!

Boardwalk Empire Style Challenge for Ladies & Gents

earrings | necklace | dress | hair pins | snake arm bangle | gold arm bangle | purse | t-strap heels

find all styles above at Paul Fredrick: fedora | dress shirt
suspenders | tie | pants | socks | shoes

I love American 1920s styles, I think it stems from my tap dancing days & my flapper-esque recital costume with fringe & everything. It was perfection.

When the folks over at Paul Fredrick asked if I’d celebrate Boardwalk Empire’s season premiere with a style challenge inspired by the show I was both flattered & excited & started my search for my interpretation of the style.

Swish with Coconut Oil for Clearer Skin

I've never had perfect skin. In fact it's probably my biggest daily battle & insecurity (there I said it). I always listen in when people with poreless complexions say that they "take care of their skin" or they do nothing at all and that's why it looks the way it does.  Personally, I'm pretty sure the (in)balance of my skin lies in somewhere in the mixture of genetics, stress and diet.  I've used most creams, lotions, potions and scared my husband when I come out of the bathroom with a face mask fit for Halloween. I've used super natural remedies and other chemically ones that I would like to deny but I won't because I've tried lots. The only things that seem to really keep my breakouts at bay in the past have been drinking lots of water (I mean lots) & being on vacation.  Obviously I can't be on vacation every day of the year and I really do try my best to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.

A couple weeks ago my sister, fellow natural product enthusiast, told me about coconut oil pulling or as I like to call it swishing.  Just when I thought I had exhausted all the ways I could love coconut oil in comes this skin saver.

What is she talking about? I'll tell you. At least once a day you take a spoonful of coconut oil & swish in around in your mouth for 5-20 minutes which ever you have time for. I do this in the shower or while I'm blow drying my hair in the morning.  You just swish and after the max amount of time you have to give that day you spit it out (either in a garbage or your toilet, if you spit it in your sink it might end up building up in there over time & clog it). Then you scrape your tongue with a tongue scraper.  I use a copper tongue scraper like this one.

Ok so what's it all about? What you're doing is detoxing all of the bacteria in your mouth.  That's why it's super important to scrape your tongue after so you don't swallow all the toxins you just pulled from your mouth.

This simple practice can make a huge difference in your skin.  My skin isn't perfect but since I've started my swishing routine I've seen a big difference in it which leaves me less stressed and just a smidge more confident. Some say that they notice that their skin glows from this - SIGN ME UP!  Plus, since coconut oil has antibacterial properties it will also keep your gums healthy and teeth whiter!  So give it a try, what do you have to lose?