Dia De Los Muertos Costume

Hi friends! Sorry this post is so late! I have been having terrible sinus issues and have been sick with a fever for 3 days straight! I have finally started to feel better, thankfully! So, I guess a late post is better than never, right? Today I’m bringing you a fairly easy costume tutorial! I put my Dia De Los Muertos costume together in about an hour on Sunday afternoon! Now, the face painting took a little longer… but more on that later. Let’s start with the costume first!

I made my own flower crown and flower choker! Let’s start with the crown first. You’ll need a headband (maybe one a little larger than mine), fake flowers, old fabric you don’t mind cutting up, and a hot glue gun! First, pull the flowers off the stems. Second, cut rectangular pieces of fabric and hot glue it to the bottom of the flower.

You will want to leave a little flap to be folded over the headband. Third, Start hot gluing your flowers around the headband. I tried mine on a few times before I actually got the look I was going for.

Next, you’ll want to make your choker. I cut a very thin strip of black fabric and folded it over. Then I pulled the flower off the stem, and hot glued it inside the folded over part. That’s it! Easy peasy!

After the costume accessories were complete, I painted my face! I wanted a very pale face, so I got some white grease paint (I chose that instead of a cream base so my other colors would not mix) and smeared it on my whole face with a sponge. I didn’t do much around my eyes because I knew I would be painting them black.

Once the white is done, get going on that black! I blacked out my eyes and the bottom of my nose! To be honest, you can do whatever designs you want! I got inspiration from several pictures on Pinterest!

You can stick to black and white or add some color in there! Totally up to you, and that’s the best part!

Now, I’m going to say it again because I feel it needs saying, I’m obviously not great at make-up. With that being said, I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. So, I’m sending you a huge confidence boost because if I can do it (even if it took me 2 hours), so can you!

Lastly, you’ll need your actual clothing! I bought this skirt about 10 years ago when I went to Mexico on a mission trip. So, this pretty thing is authentic, but I’m sure you can find something like it or make it with a pattern.

I also wore a black lace top to add a little bit of detail, since my skirt is so plain. To complete my look, I wore my new favorite lace up heels in black! (Thanks Mom!)

This costume was quite fun to create and not too hard!

I hope y’all have an amazing Halloween tomorrow! Eat lots of candy and don’t get too spooked!!

❤ Abbie

Greyfriars Kirkyard, Edinburgh, Scotland

Happy almost Halloween my ghouls! I thought the last spooky location I should take y’all through should be really creepy, but also awesome. So, today I bring you Greyfriars Kirkyard in Edinburgh, Scotland!

When planning our trip to Scotland I did a lot of research on things to do/see. Edinburgh was a little bit harder than other places because we wanted to see a ton of stuff. It is an incredible historic city, and we wanted to hit the highlights! One place that we kept seeing over and over (for different reasons) was Greyfriars Kirkyard. So, we added it to the list!

 Greyfriars Kirkyard, like many places in Edinburgh, is tucked behind some old buildings and you would absolutely miss it if you weren’t paying attention. The easiest way I suggest finding it, is to find Greyfriars Bobby’s Pub. First of all, the outside is adorable and you can see a statue of Bobby, the sky terrier who supposedly guarded his owners grave until his own death 14 years later. (You can find Bobby’s headstone right in the entrance of Greyfriars Kirkyard.) Once you find Greyfriars Bobby, look to your immediate left and go down the dark spooky alley and you will walk straight into Greyfriars Kirkyard.

This cemetery has been around since the 1560s. Yes, you read that correctly, 1560. Many Scots have been buried in Greyfriars throughout the ages, but one has been said to still be hanging around after his death. George Mackenzie was a persecutor of the Presbyterian church back in the 17th century, and his ghost is supposedly haunting the kirkyard to this day. The Mackenzie Poltergeist is said to be pretty aggressive because people have been scratched, bruised, and pushed often in the kirkyard at night.

It’s kind of incredible just to see all the old headstones and mausoleums. Even during the day it’s a little creepy. If you’re looking for a really creepy time, try going in the kirkyard at night! As far as I know, it stays open all the time, so you can go in anytime of the day or night! Jackson and I found the kirkyard for the first time at around 11pm and we wandered around in the dark for awhile. Not going to lie, you are going to want someone to hold onto.

Ok, where are all my Potterheads? I have something exciting to tell you! Did you know that J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter in Edinburgh (more on that in another post) and more specifically, found some of her character’s names in Greyfriars Cemetery?!? Buried in the cemetery is a man named Tom Riddle. There is also a Scottish poet with the last name McGonagall. I’m not going to tell you where they are because honestly finding them is half the fun! I will tell you they are closer to the back, but that’s it!

Greyfriars Kirkyard is an unbelievable place in one of the most beautifully magical cities in the world. If you are ever in Scotland, you must visit Greyfriars Kirkyard and Edinburgh. Say hello to Bobby for me and make sure to be on your guard!

❤ Abbie

Halloweekends, Cedar Point, OH

Hi friends! I hope your week has gone well! I had the pleasure of taking a trip up to visit family in Ohio this past weekend. There are many things I love about Ohio, but one of the big things is Cedar Point Amusement Park. I may be a little biased because I grew up going to Cedar Point; however, I know I am not biased when it comes to LOVING Halloweekends. Every September Cedar Point transforms itself into the spookiest and coolest Halloween-themed park! I can say that Cedar Point is definitely the best scary theme park that I have been to (beating out Six Flags Fright Fest, Busch Gardens Howl-O-Scream, and I would even say Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights). I know that sounds kind of crazy, but if you are looking for the most spook and fun for your buck, I highly recommend Cedar Point! Let’s get spooked shall we?!

Cedar Point offers six scare zones where trouble seems to lurk at every corner! With heavy fog and people who seem to walk almost silently, you’ll definitely be jumping and holding on to a friend or loved one! Some of my favorite scare zones are Tombstone Terror-tory, Harvest Fear and Carnevil!

This year Cedar Point is offering two new haunted houses (six total) and I must admit, they are pretty amazing! The people who are scaring you are really good at distracting you to one side, only to be scared when you turn around! If you love haunted houses, you are in for a treat! I highly suggest Freak Show (new), G.A. Boeckling’s Eerie Estate, and Zombie High School!

The best time to visit Halloweekends is on a Friday or a Sunday night. Saturday tends to be a nightmare (pun intended) of crowds and it will make it almost impossible for you to see everything. You can also ride some of the rides while there! I suggest my favorite ride since I was a kid, The Mine Ride. This year they added a haunting new twist, you have to find out #WhatsInTheShed

The fee for Halloweekends starts at $43/person, but that gets you into all the scare zones, haunted houses, and rides! You would be paying almost the same to get into somewhere like Six Flags (who doesn’t include haunted houses in their ticket prices… like idiots… sorry, I’m a bit salty from our recent trip there) but you will be getting so much more!

If you are ever near Sandusky, Ohio you MUST visit Cedar Point (Halloweekends or not)! It is such a fun amusement park and I highly recommend visiting at any and every opportunity! Also, if you have any fun other haunted/spooky/Halloween-themed locations that I should visit, please comment below! I always love suggestions!

Have a spooktacular evening!

❤ Abbie

P.s. All of these photos were taken from my phone, so I’m sorry they aren’t the normal quality of my photographs. However, I must admit I am pretty impressed at how well my phone actually did. Anywhoooo… have a good night!

I Love Lucy Costume Tutorial

Lucy you got some ‘splainin’ to do!! Aww Riickkkkeeeyyyy!! Did anyone else grow up on hearing that!? I Love Lucy is such an amazing and iconic show that it would be really hard for me not to make it into a costume! I grew up watching the show, so it was a blast to be Lucy for a night! The best part of this costume is that it’s so simple!

First thing you’ll want to do is your hair! Luckily, it’s pretty easy to do also! First thing you need to do is section off the front bang part of your hair. You’ll want to curl it straight backwards and then roll it. It should make a roll right in the front of your head.

Next, you’ll want to curl the sides. Once that’s done, take the sides and slick them back, then pin. It should kind of look like a curly mohawk going down your head. If you have any pieces sticking out in weird ways, spin it into a curl and pin it down. Easy, right?

After your hair is done, it’s time for makeup! I made a cat eye and lots of mascara to open up those peepers! Add some blush and red lips and you’re good to go!

For the clothing part you’ll need a polka dot dress and some pearls!

To really give the Lucy effect, make a bottle of Vitameatavegimin and carry a spoon!

Make gross faces, but really try to sell that stuff! Remember to shout catchphrases like “Rickeeyyyy” and fake cry a lot! Bonus points if you’re a redhead!

❤ Lucy for the evening

Viking Costume Tutorial

Happy Friday, friends! I’m here to bring you the first costume tutorial for this Halloween season! The tv show Vikings  has been an incredibly popular show this year, so I thought it might be fun to make a costume! I recently chopped all of my hair off, making it impossible for me to really do this costume well, because let’s be honest, the coolest part of being a viking woman is the awesome hair! I asked my friend Kate if I could use her (and her plethora of gorgeous hair) as my viking model! She excitedly agreed and we were all set! I’m going to take you through a step-by-step hair tutorial then share what we chose for clothing after!

The first thing I did was section out the top around the crown. This gives plenty of hair from the crown down for braids. You can leave that pinned up for a little bit because we are going to do the top last.

After the top is sectioned, I sectioned the sides into two equal parts (top and bottom). I then braided the top half first so you don’t have any hair falling down while you are trying to braid the bottom. The key to this look is to braid toward the back of your head until you reach where your head starts to turn to the back. Once you get to where your head starts to become the back you can braid down so you have some braids showing with your half up-do.

After you do one side, do the other. You can switch it up and maybe have one braid on one side and two on the other. It’s totally up to you! I did two rows of braids on each side of her head. After the sides are done you can start on the top!

First thing you’ll want to do for the top is to tease all but about a half inch in the very front. I knew I wanted the front to have a pouf, but Kate has a very distinct side part. So I actually sectioned off a little in the front and made a large swooped pouf to give her the height I was wanting. If you don’t have a prominent part, you can just start the top braid.

I decided to do a wide braid (almost a braided mohawk) down the back. Make sure you really tease the middle part. (Call it all sorts of mean names and make it cry!!)  You want a lot of volume for this braid! Once it’s sufficiently teased, start doing a wide braid. I usually do it a little tighter at first, then once it’s braided and in the rubber band I pull it out a little bit to give it the width. If you have little pieces sticking out, you can bobby pin them down.

After that, I just slightly waved the ends with my wand. You don’t want lots of curls, just some loose waves. Once that’s done, you’re viking hair is complete!!

For makeup we just did a very dark smokey eye and some nude lipstick to give her a little color. You don’t want anything really bright, neutrals and dark tones are best for this look!

 

For clothing, we decided on a dark green peasant top with black pants. You might recognize the fur from my previous Little Red Riding Hood costume. If you don’t know already, you can go to Joann’s or Hobby Lobby and buy some fur pretty inexpensively. If you want more details about lengths to buy and prices you can check out the link to my other costume above.

For accessories we added a woven belt, lace-up boots, and a hatchet! With that, your viking costume is complete!

 

A huge thanks goes out to Kate for being my model! This costume is actually super easy and inexpensive! I feel like most people will already have something in their closet that will work!

I hope y’all have a fantastic evening and happy October!!

❤ Abbie and Kate

Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland, OH

Hello friends! So, I’ve been going back and forth about whether or not I wanted to post about some spooky/supposedly haunted places because the last time I did I received some negative feedback. However, it is something that has always been of interest to me, and I feel I need to be true to myself. With that being said, I want to start this post off by saying I don’t necessarily believe that these places I will be sharing are “haunted.” I am just going to tell some facts and share some experiences had by others and I will let you make the call. Or don’t make a call and just enjoy some spooky stories! Anyways, somewhat soapbox over. Let’s get to some spooky!

Today I am sharing one of the cooler places I’ve visited in Cleveland! Lake View Cemetery is the resting place of many famous Clevelanders throughout the years. Buried in the rolling hills of Lake View are people like John D. Rockefeller, Elliot Ness, and James A. Garfield (tomb is pictured above), just to name a few. You might be surprised at some of these names, but back in the late 1800s/early 1900s Cleveland was actually home to more millionaires than any city in America. The oil and railroad trades boomed in Cleveland, making it a very wealthy city! That meant the wealthiest could afford to be buried in the most beautiful location in Cleveland, Lake View Cemetery.

The cemetery itself is massive, spanning over 285 acres. With all this land and lots of twisted pathways, it’s not hard to get lost. But, that is the beauty of Lake View, getting lost for an hour or two looking at all of the beautifully haunting graves.

It’s amazing to me the detail that was put in to making some of these graves. The beautiful mausoleums, intricate gravestones, and hauntingly realistic sculptures greet you at every turn. It’s not hard to get the sense of not being alone.

One of my favorite graves is for a family named Haserot. It is perhaps the most photographed grave in the entire cemetery because it is so foreboding. Nestled back behind some tombs sits the Haserot angel.

The name of the dark angel is actually “The Angel of Death Victorious.” The angel sits with an extinguished torch upside-down to symbolize life being extinguished. She stares straight ahead, unmoving. The eeriest part of the Haserot angel comes from years of being exposed to the elements; the bronze has worn and it looks as if she is crying black tears. Even if you see nothing else in the cemetery, you must  visit the Haserot Angel.

The final grave I would like to share comes with a bit of a story. Hans Tiedemann was a German immigrant who came to live in Cleveland in the late 1800s. He built an incredible home called Franklin Castle.

If you are from Cleveland (or Ohio in general) you have most likely heard of this house. Franklin Castle is known for being the most haunted house in Ohio. Years and years of stories and mystery have shrouded this home and they all trace back to the supposed horrors of Mr. Tiedemann.

Tiedemann and his family built the mansion (shown above) from 1881-1883 in one of the most influential and wealthy parts of Cleveland. He moved into the home with his wife Louise, and their two children. The Tiedemann’s lost several children due to the common diseases of the time, but rumor had it that more people had died in the home (of not so natural causes, if you catch my drift). The home switched owners several times through the years. Some say it was built above part of the underground railroad. Others say in the 1920s during prohibition, the basement was used as a speakeasy. Some even say it belonged to a group of Nazis. One thing always stays the same however, the owners always say the house is haunted. What is most commonly seen is a woman in black standing on the second floor balcony. People report mysterious mists appearing and the feeling of being pushed. I’m not quite sure if we’ll ever know what really happened in Franklin Castle, but it sure makes for a good spooky story! If you want to hear more creepy details about Franklin Castle I highly recommend the book “Haunted Ohio.”

Well, that’s all for this weeks spooky wandering post! If you ever get the chance to visit Lake View Cemetery in Ohio, it’s worth the trip! Say hello to the Haserot Angel for me… and let’s all hope she doesn’t say hello back.

❤ Abbie