B-Movie Star

EDITOR'S NOTE - DAMMIT! I WROTE THIS POST AND IT DIDN'T PUBLISH CORRECTLY! grrrr I hate when the computer outsmarts me AGAIN!!!! Well, anyway - it was supposed to be posted on Halloween, but it's never too late for a horror movie right? So I guess you can just consider this a little Halloween Hangover cure! See ya NEXT YEAR!!!

and go!!!!!

I almost forgot to mention this year several "newer" movies (and by that I mean movies made AFTER 1959!)  that I suggest you watch. It might be a little late to get them for Halloween, but if you're looking for some good horror it might be time to look at some foreign films.

I suggest Guillermo del Toro.  I've never seen Hellboy, one of his best known movies,  it just didn't seem like my cup of tea, but after seeing Pan's Labyrinth a few years ago, I was impressed and intrigued with him as a director.  So I gave a couple of them a whirl, and I think you should too. So, here are few of his movies that you must absolutely watch - you must - they are so much better than the recent horror films being released in the U.S. *coughparnormalactivitysuckscough*

The first one I'm recommending is the 2001 movie, The Devil's Backbone, that was written, directed and produced by del Toro. I was nervous to watch it, not sure what I was going to get myself into, but I am so glad that I tried it. I love the layered story lines of the movie. I love the look of the movie and the effects that are used when we see the ghost.  It's a haunting tale in both the scary and the lingering sense. It's truly terrifying - you will be on the edge of your seat, and it's also a sad and poignant story. Watch it, you will not be disappointed - at least I don't think you will be. If you have any taste at all you will love it!  hee hee - no pressure there right?! You may have to read subtitles, the film is in Spanish, but seriously I got so caught up in the story I didn't even think about the fact that it was subtitled.

It is 1939, the end of three years of bloody civil war in Spain, and General Franco's right-wing Nationalists are poised to defeat the left-wing Republican forces. A ten-year-old boy named Carlos, the son of a fallen Republican war hero, is left by his tutor in an orphanage in the middle of nowhere. The orphanage is run by a curt but considerate headmistress named Carmen and a kindly Professor Casares, both of whom are sympathetic to the doomed Republican cause. Despite their concern for him, and his gradual triumph over the usual schoolhouse bully, Carlos never feels completely comfortable in his new environment. First of all, there was that initial encounter with the orphanage's nasty caretaker, Jacinto, who reacts even more violently when anyone is caught looking around a particular storage room the one with the deep well. Second, and more inexplicable, is the presence of a ghost, one of the former occupants of the orphanage named Santi. Not long after Carlos' arrival, Santi latches onto Carlos, badgering him incessantly at night and gloomily intoning, "Many of you will die." As if that wasn't enough to keep the orphanage's occupants in an unrelenting state of terror, there's the un-exploded bomb that dominates the orphanage's courtyard, still ticking away; With the orphanage left defenseless by its isolation, and the swift progression of Franco's troops, the ghost's prediction seems depressingly accurate. Nevertheless, with every step of the plot, it becomes apparent that the ghost's predictions as to who (or what) will die, the real source of danger and even the definition of death itself may be more ambiguous than first thought. - fromIMBb

The next movie you should go see is the 2007 film, The Orphanage which was produced by del Toro and directed by Juan Antonio Bayona.  This was actually the second one of del Toro's films that I watched. It's a great, suspenseful tale. It's a beautifully crafted film and well written. There are some definite moments that make you jump out of your skin, but overall it's an atmospheric horror movie where the scariness is more in the head than jumping off the screen. Don't be fooled though, it was a disturbing film, and I'm not sure I could watch it again, but I'm glad I was able to see it once. I think you'll like it too. It is also subtitled.

The former orphan Laura raises her adopted son Simón with her husband Carlos in an old house and former orphanage where she was raised. Simón is HIV positive and tells Laura that he has five invisible friends, and she believes they are fruit of his imagination. Laura decides to reopen an orphanage for handicapped children in the location and during the opening party, Simón calls her to show the little cabin of his friend Tomás. The busy Laura does not gives much attention to her son; then she sees a mysterious masked boy and Simón vanishes. Laura feels the presence of other persons in the house and months later, the desperate Laura invites a team of parapsychologists to try to unravel the mystery. from IMBd

Have a spooky Halloween Weekend . . . .

Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night!

Halloween weekend! I know you are all as excited as I am!!! There's so much going on! Bonfires, costumes, Trick or Treaters, scary movie marathons! Lions and Tigers and Bears OH MY!

So here's some last minute links for you to enjoy and get all you Halloween Grinches in the MOOD!

Countdown to Halloween - 206 participants this year! Wow - that's plenty to keep Halloween alive all year long!

John Rozum

Magic Carpet Burn

The Drunken Severed Head

Orange and Black

The Captains Ramblings

365 Halloween

Frankensteinia Blog

There's also a few spooky sites like

Your Ghost Stories

American Ghost Stories

This just has some good links for lots of Halloween Goodness  - Design Crush

And if your cable is shut off or you just want to hang out in the chat room with a bunch of monster movie fanatics - check this out - a weekend monster movie marathon at 100 Years of Monster Movies.

Tonight we are carving pumpkins so I was scouting out the internet looking for some inspiration and I came across this photo on the Skull a Day website (which you should check out if you haven't already!) Isn't this the coolest? People are so creative! It's too late in our area to buy any white pumpkins, but I'm keeping this in mind for next year! It's just so perfect!!

I also found this site, My Parents Loved Halloween, where there are some really great old photos - and you can post your own. Go over there for some Halloween inspiration!!!  I've also thought, isn't it funny how the costumes were not as "sophisticated" as the ones we have today, yet they are so much more scary! Really scary! I mean check out this one - I don't even know what she's supposed to be - Little Red Riding Hood, a witch? I don't know but it's freaking terrifying!!!

Sure, it's early, but Designs In Digital wants to help you be ready for the Holidays, and there's  no better way to get ready for the holidays than to head over to Designs In Digital and get on Board Santa's Digi Express! What is this crazy train you might ask?  Well, it's a way for you to create your  holiday cards, holiday letters, gift card holders,  gift tags, party invites, and MORE!!!

Santa's bag is loaded with awesome mini kits created by pairs of designers - you pick up the mini kits and use them to create awesome holiday projects. For every challenge you complete and post to the gallery you get a chance of winning the DAILY PRIZE!!

The Grab Bag Kit, smorgasbord of awesome materials, arrive in the shop November 1st . . .  Challenges will be posted beginning November 15th and Santa’s Digi Express leaves Designs In Digital on November 25th so hurry and join the fun before it is gone!

Check out the forum at Designs In Digital for more details. If you are new to Designs and Digital or to the SDE - don't be shy - everyone is nice there and will be glad to help you out or answer any questions you have.  This event is known for being tons of FUN!!! Plus, you'll be creating gifts and holiday materials - what could be better than that? Oh, yeah, getting free prizes - which you can!!! oh yeah!

All this sounds pretty awesome doesn't it?

Well guess what? Santa's elves want to get this party started early! So they created a double edged challenge!! What does that mean? Well you get two chances to win!!

Come over the DID fan page at Facebook, become a fan, get friends to join and post a comment.. If we reach 1000 fans by November 1st, 3 commenters on the Facebook site will win the SDE kit for free!
AND/OR

Come on over to DID, tell us you are going to join us in the fun, and on November 1st I will randomly pick 2 commenters to win the SDE kit!!

Remember you need the kit to to play along and win more awesome prizes and coupons, so this would make your chances a heck of a lot easier!!

You are going to have so much fun this year!!!  And while you are at the site, join in a few of our regular challenges, each one earns you points and each point is worth money off  items in the shops, no conditions apply!!

Isn't this cute? I found these Frankenstein inspired green peppers over at The Family Kitchen at Babble.com I love them because they're so cute, but they're also stuffed with quinoa - so awesome!   Head over there, they've also got a great link to some Monster Nachos . . . yum!!!

Frankenstein Baked Peppers
2 cups black quinoa or black rice, cooked
1 can black beans
1/2 cup black olives, chopped
1/2 teaspoon beef bouillion powder
1 cup pepper jack cheese, grated
4 green bell peppers

To Decorate:
8 water chestnuts
8 black olives, whole
4 black olives, halved
4 small, thin slices of red bell pepper
16 White Toothpicks

In a large bowl, stir together the quinoa or rice, black beans, olives, boullion powder, and cheese.  Slice off the tops of each of the bell peppers, clean all seeds and pith from the inside of each pepper, then fill generously with the quinoa mixture.  Gently place the tops of each pepper on top, then bake peppers in an oven preheated to 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Remove the baked peppers from the oven, allow to cool slightly, then carve a small triangle for a nose, and a small slit for the mouth.  Press a thin piece of red bell pepper into the slit.  To make the eyes, use a toothpick to connect half an olive and a water chestnut to the bell pepper for each eye.  Then, press two whole olives into the sides of the pepper with a toothpick for the “bolts.”

So this weekend on AMC they ran the classic, 1941 The Wolf Man and one of it's sequels,  Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman (1943). I just happened to wake up at the right time to catch both of these flicks, and in the wee early hours of the morning (and I do mean wee) I had some deep thoughts and questions about these movies . . . maybe you can help me with the answers.

First one, The Wolf Man - okay it's pretty straight forward right? Larry Talbot returns home from studying abroad, goes out in the woods get bitten by Bela Lugosi who's a Gypsy/Wolf Man, which turns poor Larry into a Wolf Man himself. No one believes him except the old gypsy woman who gives him a pendant for protection . . . (remember this because I have a couple questions about it) . . . then Larry goes on a rampage and ultimately is killed by a sliver tipped cane to the skull.  Okay got it.

My first  question is for Malvena, they gypsy - if  that pendant you gave Larry was supposed to protect him from turning into the Wolf Man, why wasn't your son wearing one?  Also, I've noticed that in old scary movies, the majority of the characters do not believe in anything supernatural. Their religion is science and no amount of coaxing will convince them that anything outside our little 3-D world exists - well until they have to crack their Wolf Man son in the skull with a silver tipped walking cane.  Yeah buddy, should have listened but it's too late now!

Okay, I'll leave you to ponder those questions while we move onto Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man. Oh boy, you have to be a real fan to watch some of these sequels . . . This one has Bela Lugosi playing Frankenstein. sigh. Oh Bela how I love you, but you should not have been playing the Frankenstein Monster!

Anyhoo - I'm just going to overlook that and move on. In this movie, grave robbers open Larry Talbot's grave and I guess the moonlight shining in the open coffin wakes him from the dead . . .? And now he's awake and he's not too happy about it. So he sets off to find Malvena again, and hey, I know! Let's find Dr. Frankenstein and see if he can help. . .

What?

What about Dr. Frankenstein's  career path makes a person think, yeah, I got a problem and THIS is the guy to turn to? What exactly about a raging out of control monster, being hounded by a pack of angry villagers with pitchforks and torches, being driven from your hometown, what about all that  made you think, well after THAT success he can't do anything but fix my problems?!

So Larry and Malvena are just off on the wrong foot as far as I can tell.

In any case Dr. Frankenstein is dead, Larry's gets no help from his daughter, so he heads off to the Frankenstein ruins and finds the Monster frozen in ice (?) he chips him out and something eventually pisses them both off and they fight and it all ends badly for the monsters.  Like I said, you really have to be dedicated to these monsters to put up with this weak storyline.

Oh, I'll still watch them and I try to have my 'suspension of disbelief' but there are still times when the little things just gnaw at me. . . .   (hee hee monsters gnaw at me, get it?)

Yeah. I'm stopping now.

I forgot all about this cool idea until I saw it again at Lemon Tree Creations. Her's are so gorgeous I think I'm gonna break out the parafin wax and make some for myself. I really love her leaf mobiles! (And her photos are so lovely!)

I bet you could think of lots of ways to display these leaves . . .  I love this framed idea too!!! Anyway she has a great tutorial over there, go check it out!!!

Gabby and I tried this recipe the other night and we fell in love. It's a lot like traditional apple crisp, but with more of a baked apple flavor and less "crisp"  The flavor is delicious and it's a nice cozy autumn dessert for a chilly evening!

3 cups apples sliced

1 tbsp. flour (we used gluten free flour for ours)

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup oatmeal

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup flour

1/3  cup butter

1/3 tsp baking soda

1/3 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup water

Cinnamon to taste

Mix 1 Tbsp flour, sugar and cinnamon with sliced apples. Place in a a greased baking dish. Mix remaining ingredients and spread over the apple mixture.

Pour the water over the topping and bake at 350° F until the apples are tender and golden brown - about 30 minutes.

I"m so excited about this! I don't know if you've heard of a site called "SheSpeaks" It's own description of itself is, "SheSpeaks is the community where smart and insightful women come together to share their opinions and see the power of their collective voices in action."  I have tried out several products for them and it's so much fun - you should check it out for yourself. The most exciting part of this story is that I was chosen to be one of their "Snickers® "Coolest House on the Block" reps for Halloween! This is so exciting!!!!

I received my "Coolest House on the Block" packages yesterday - it came with bags of a new Snickers® candy, Snickers® Peanut Butter Squared, as well as bags of regular Snickers® candy bars to hand out to Trick or Treaters, a "Coolest House on the Block" Yard Sign, a strobe light, a fog machine, plus a bunch of Halloween decorations like crime scene tape, spider webs, window clings SQEEEEEE! Seriously? They chose the perfect house for this mission! If you're in my area on Halloween make sure to come by and get some new Snickers® Peanut Butter Squared candy! Of course I will have photos and I'll be posting them after Halloween to let you know how it goes. I LOVE HALLOWEEN!!!!

You should also go check out SheSpeaks - there's other cool programs to apply for - maybe something that's perfect for you!

Here are some reviews of the new candy - if you don't find some on Halloween, keep your eyes peeled - it's coming to a store near you!!!

Candy Blog

Sugar Pressure

Elizabeth's Candy Blog

Designs In Digital has some openings for Designers - both Guest and Permanent. It's a great place to design and everyone there is really great to work with! Check it out if you're interested!