Advice For Making Cosplay Props’ Accessories
By Alice Hana

To make delicate accessories, the most important part is to select the proper materials. It’s commonsense to use foam or plastic to make your stuff light, and use fiberglass or metal to make it tough. Wander around your home for things suitable and proper for your props. There is no strict rule on objects made by certain materials, but only free mind in looking for the most ideal raw material to make the most vivid costumes.

MATERIALS
Polymer clay: there are two popular brand-FIMO and SCULPEY, which is nice choice for accessories and jewellery. They’re easy to manage, quick dry and sold in various colors. Only problem is things made by them could be a little bit heavy.

Foam core: foam core is kind of a craft board, which consist of stiff foam come in between several layers of cards. You can find it in any art supply store, and use it as a base to build papier-mâché. Technically, it isn’t strong enough to build hard object. It’s best use is to strengthen large pieces with two or three layers. Foam core can be cut with knife and scissors easily, and be carved to some extent once you replace the paper surface.

Papier-mâché: it’s a inexpensive and extremely light material. You can pulp or strip with this kind of stuff. You may be familiar with the strip way-simply rip it up into strips according to what you need, then moisturize and color it, attach it where you need. There’s one little tip: shape something into what you want, and then cover it with papier-mâché.
Pulping is another method to form different shapes. But it cost time and it’s really troublesome if you’ve tried, although things made by this way is vivid and adorable.

Paper clay: it’s a alternative to Fimo or Sculpey. The make process is same as before, shape, dry, sand and paint. The prior advantage with paper clay is it can provide smooth effect after finished. Be advised that paper clay shrinks as it dries, so unless the piece has room to shrink, seams on it will appear. These can be fixed up with more clay.

Plaster strip: it is kind of strips made of open-weave fabric covered in plaster, water-reacted. it can be fast to set it, but it takes lots of time—at least a day, to dry it thoroughly. This material is the ideal one for making body model for its feature, but be sure to move the model off the person before it gets too hard for scissors. The cast could be extremely strong, but too much heavy if you apply several layers. Remember it can’t be easily sanded to make it smooth, because plaster strip is based on loose-weave fabric. If you want to make it nice and glossy, you can apply other material such as polyfilla or spackling compound and sand that layer smooth.
There’s other caution about working with plaster. Because the plaster hardens gradually, you may have to use a rubber bowl to mix it. When it hardens while you’re busy working with it, just squeeze it a bit to remove the dried plaster.

Plastic:
If possible, you can choose a latest product called Wonderflex, which is like thermoplastics but becomes pliable at a lower temperature. The most advantageous and healthy feature is you can use it with your own hands without being contaminated by poisonous chemical substances.

Same, there’s another new material called Friendly Plastic. It becomes malleable in hot water and can be managed by bare hands, which is best companion for Wonderflex and for sculpting small items.

Styrofoam: it’s a quick and easy based material to build pieces, but it requires some preparation before painting. If you just spray the hue on the surface of Styrofoam, or use brush on it, you’ll soon find it dissolved. So the best solution is to cover it in gesso, acrylic or latex paint. Even a small gap in between the coverage and the surface could lead to a big mess as it’ll dissolve under the paint.

Upholstery/Craft Foam: Foam is a good selection if you need your props to be light and flexible. Upholstery foam could be found in a fabric store, or in an upholstery repair shop. It comes in thick blocks and can be carved and shaped to whatever you need, then covered with fabric. It can make perfect armor, esp. the knee pads. Another foam is craft foam, which is available at craft stores and shaped in thin sheets in different colors. You can cut it into various shapes and attach or sew it on. In some specific situation, you can use it to decorate surface on you items, or make great armor coated with sheet plastic or strengthen with glue.

Skills

Sanding: use a coarse grit sandpaper(50) to remove large lumps. To make porcelain effect, start with medium grit sandpaper, 80 or 100 will be ok. Then sand it with fine grit, 300 or 400. Work it in different steps and you can boldly use finer grits.

Painting: first is to make sure the surface is smooth. Until the surface is nice and fine, you cannot paint it evenly. Use fine sand paper to make it smooth. When paint the props, you can choose acrylics, for they are quick-drying, easy to handle, waterproof and can be cleaned up with soap and water.

Glue: although there are many glue available, choosing the right one for your need is crucial. The underlying theory is that 5-minute epoxy comes in two tubes and you mix it together to make it work. It’s strong and versatile for most needs, but isn’t flexible when dry, the same as Superglue. To deal with flexible materials like leather and attaching boot covers, shoemaker’s glue, available at shoe repair places, is extremely apt, but when used in a well-ventilated area, it gives off hazardous fumes. For attaching things that don’t fit perfectly, 2-part epoxy putty is helpful because it fills in the gaps and can be filed and painted. If you want to glue plastic, there are special glues available at hobby stores that can heat and fuse the plastic together. Of course there’s old fashion hot-glue–it’s invaluable for last-minute repairs, but normal hot-glue is vulnerable on durability because it will melt in summer heat and often falls off completely. While not working well on smooth surfaces like metal, hot-glue works fabulously on foam and other porous materials, however, you want to make sure to get a high-temperature glue gun and hi-temp glue. The hi-temp glue is much more durable, but watch out when it is VERY hot as it can burn yourself badly.

Finishing Tricks: There are many ways to make your piece look more professional. The truth is that most crafting materials, even made into the right shape, still just look like crafting materials. A necklace made out of gold FIMO will look like a FIMO one, but not a gold one. Fortunately, means are available to avoid this.

An important step, especially for metallic surfaces, is breakdown. This term refers to stressing or emphasizing the surface details of a piece. The easiest way to do this is to apply a thin wash of dark brown, black or blue paint. It will run into the recessed areas, creating artificial shadows. This gives the piece dimension and makes it more realistic.

To gain more control of your piece, you can manually paint in the shadows and highlight some parts. Doing this, you can completely customize the look of the piece and change a flat, boring piece of clay or plaster into a shiny and three-dimensional one. Even something of right color, like FIMO, can benefit from these artificial shadows and highlighting.

Once the painting is all done, give the finished piece a couple coats of clear spraying lacquer (available at hardware stores, in the paint section). Glossy lacquer is the most durable lacquer, but if you want your oiece to be matte, then apply a layer of gloss for protection and then a layer of matte lacquer on top. Make sure to let each layer dry completely before adding another one.

Article from cosplay classes which provide the useful resources about cosplay costumes and Accessories for cosplayers

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Alexandra Ivy turns in yet another page-turner with the latest in her Guardians of Eternity series, Darkness Everlasting, a sizzling tale of romance, danger and intrigue of the paranormal variety.

In Darkness Everlasting, the vampire king, Styx, takes it upon himself to protect the lovely Darcy Smith (by kidnapping her) when he learns that a werewolf leader, Salvatore Guiliani, is after her for some unknown purpose. Styx gets more than he bargains for, however, as the tenderhearted Darcy, who’s always known she was different than those around her without knowing why, proves a danger to the 2,000-year-old warrior’s solitary existence, threatening to melt his heart and free his soul in ways he never imagined. 

I found Darkness Everlasting a truly delightful read, well written, well plotted and difficult to put down. The dance between Styx and Darcy is both sweet and devastatingly passionate, their lonely souls connecting in spite of the odds being stacked against them, and the designs of the were leader to have Darcy for his own. It was great fun to see the return of familiar faces from the previous books in the series, including the deliciously amusing gargoyle Levet, along with Viper, Dante, and their mates Shay and Abby, as well. I am eagerly anticipating the next installment in Ms. Ivy’s series.

Have you read Darkness Everlasting? If so, feel free to post a comment and let others know what you thought of the book!

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Halloween Promotional Items Bring Customers to Your Doorstep
By Chris Ellis

Spook the competition with some well chosen promotional items and scare up some new customers while you’re at it! Halloween has been a tradition in America for just over a century now, and has become one of the major landmarks throughout the year that various business models use to kick new marketing campaigns into gear. You should be considering how you’ll capitalize on the day like everyone else!

Halloween, as it is celebrated today in America, has become an American tradition but for most of the nation’s history it wasn’t celebrated. Americans can thank the large Irish immigration during the late 1800s for bringing this holiday to the Americas and for making the celebration of this holiday acceptable in the mainstream. Prior to this, Halloween may have been celebrated by many people but had not become an explicit part of the culture for the same reason many holidays remained uncelebrated at the time: leftover Puritan tradition from the Colonial period. Two million people in the span of a few years have a way of changing things, though!

This holiday has spread beyond the borders of North America and Ireland, especially now that Halloween has become a retail holiday in more modern times and in this world of globalized economies businesses have done what they can to spread Halloween around. If you plan to capitalize on the Halloween season internationally, there is definitely opportunity out there. According to Wikipedia, even countries in the Southern Hemisphere (Australia and New Zealand) are celebrating Halloween even though they’re experiencing spring and ever increasing amounts of sunlight.

Where do you begin? The most common attribute to Halloween celebrations, even if the night is being treated as “All Saints Day” rather than the potentially sacrilegious Halloween, is the Trick-or-Treat. Most of the time it’s really all about the Treat, which means containers and containers translate into space for advertising and branding.

There are the old-fashioned style cloth bags or even pillow cases available, or the cheap plastic bright orange pumpkins. The orange plastic comes with the benefit of a safety message, since bright colors and reflectors are an important part of the holiday and the kids will be running around in the dark. Purchasing pillowcases is even more economical than buying specific Halloween styled items; you get the same functionality and customization space for a low price because they’re a more general promotional item than a cloth sack. Being a general promotional product also means you might find uses for them outside of the Halloween holiday.

You can also use all the other symbols of Halloween according to what will work best in your region. If you are a small business and know your local community won’t have a problem with witches, ghosts, and goblins then you should feel free to get some promotional items with these themes. In some neighborhoods it might not be the greatest idea or you might even want to focus on “All Saints Day” instead, a competing religious holiday that follows the day after. These concerns aren’t quite as big if you’re a nationwide company or an international one. In some countries, Halloween and All Saints Day are exactly the same holiday.

With an audience that has become increasingly international, Halloween has become a holiday you simply mustn’t ignore. It is quickly usurping Thanksgiving as the symbolic start of the “Holiday Season” in the US and will probably be following this pattern in international markets. Take advantage of this holiday, because your competition absolutely will!

Many years including advertising specialties and promotional items in marketing campaigns has given Chris Ellis a degree of expertise most people don’t have. His advice will guide you through the maze and pitfalls your own inexperience will leave you vulnerable to!

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Vampire Personal Pages

• 
  AngelClaud’s World – I dedicate this sites to all of Anne Rice’s
  vampires. You can chat, post messages, and vote for your vampires. You can
  also join AngelClaud’s Coven Webring and try to win my award.
• Armond’s
  Haven – This page is the home of the Vampire Armond. It has his life
  story and also has some links to other vampire pages.
• Bloody Raven -
  Vampiric poetry, short stories and song lyrics. Includes information the
  band Kittie.
• Book of the
  Dead – Mainly dealing with Vampire: The Masquerade. It also has poetry
  and photographs.
• Brider – Vampire
  Hunter – Message forums and a web journal keep visitors informed and
  included in the search for knowledge.
• Castle of Darkness
  - Castle of Darkness, VampiressWitch’s Home Page
• Castle X -
  A role playing site with links and artwork.
• Chylder’s
  Lair – Free-form online fantasy roleplaying, fantasy art and vampire
  pictures, poetry and prose.
• Cloudy’s – Vampires,
  Lilith, artwork, poetry, friends.
• The Cold Embrace
  of Darkness – Poetry, Photos and Such.
• Crypt of Vampires -
  Lists books, theater, gallery, web ring and links.
• The Curse of
  the Immortal – This page offers, links artwork and literature.
• Darathôrn’s Dark Vampire Realm -
  Welcome to this Realm of Darkness, dark wishes will come true here, Find All
  information about Vampires here
• Dark Dreams Embrace -
  Information on vampires including fonts, MIDI and poetry.
• DarkAngel’s Haven
  - I am the DarkAngel,Slayer of Slayers, Reeping death upon those who betray
  me, Or my kind of the Lasombra, The DarkSouls
• Darkside
  - Vampires, Voodoo, Witchcraft, Cemeteries
• Dreams and
  Visions of an Invisible Boy – Simple page with some great links.
• Drusila’s Lair – Gallery,
  Gothic poetry, vampiric history.
• Edge of Insanity -
  Hello, and welcome. Presently we’re known as Handel W. Care, Malkavian by
  clan, vampiric by nature, dipsomaniac by profession, and Mr.Badger, our man
  from the South and Antitribu side of the Malkavian game.
• Element_of_water -
  Enter a world of a mixed up human, trapped between reality and dreams.
• Emperor’s Vampyre
  Page – Good Links to other pages.
• The Encyclopedia – Features
  news, reviews, stories, pictures, archives and links.
• Enfant de la Mort
  - Come to me. Come to me because only I, and my like, can end the loneliness
  you feel.
• Federal Vampire and Zombie Agency -
  Spoof agency responsible for controlling the nation’s vampire and zombie
  populations from 1868 to 1975. Features academy, director profile, agency
  background and creature information.
• The First
  Brood – A site dedicated to the oldest of the Ricean Vampires.
• For the Dead
  Travel Fast – Dedicated to the novel, Dracula, by Bram Stoker, as well
  as vampires in general and other related topics.
• Jezebel Hell -
  Photos, poetry, music, cemeteries.
• Kat’s Everything Page
  - My name is Kat and this is my home page with all my Vampire and role
  playing links attatched.
• The Kindred’s Embrace
  - Baron Inhostero of House Bloodmoon.
• Kiss of the Vampire
  - LJ Smith and other Vampire fan fiction, original fiction, poetry, art, and
  contests for writing.
• Lady of
  the Damned’s Coven – This page is about Lady of the Damned. It contains
  poems, short stories, and SPECS based on Anne Rice’s Vampires and her
  Chronicles. All are welcome both mortal and immortal. Embrace both the light
  and the night.
• Lair of the SheBitch – Erotica,
  poetry, films, stories, art, music and forum.
• Lestatians – This site
  is dedicated to Lestat de Lioncourt. There are a lot of information about
  Lestat, including a gallery and an essay replying to Louis Rules !
  Lestatians must come and visit !
• Mabelyn Arteaga – Scarlet Sanctuary -
  Photographs, Sketches, Poems, Live-Action Vampire Theatre, Film.
• mary657 ’s
  Home Page – The Poetry of Mary 657 Mactare
• Midnight Angel – Actors
  and art for fans of vampires and the undead. Includes galleries, chat room,
  music and links.
• Nicolas de Lenfent -
  Nicolas de Lenfent, the vampire violinist is still playing his devil’s
  instrument.
• Owl’s Lair -
  Features books, anime, character galleries and links.
• The Page That Dripped Blood
  - The ultimate in horror experience by Patrick Olsen.
• Pain’s Palace -
  This Fantasy World Is Where My Mind Can Grow, and Enjoy…A world Of
  Vampires, Love, Anger, Frustration, Desire, And Sorrow…a Truley Wonderful
  Place…Please Enter And Stay A While….
• Powers Court -
  Mausoleum de Sangue entrance.
• Queer Vampires – A site
  devoted to gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans-gendered vampires. Contains book
  and movie reviews, stories, pictures, links and general information.
• Sasha’s Vampire Page
  - A vampire information site for all vampiric beings- whether you are one or
  not, you can always find something useful here.
• Siania’s
  Vampyre Information Pages – Add any dark link, collect information, join
  the mailing list for vampyre information, and events.
• Silver Raven’s Home page
  - Includes poetry, information on books and movies and other dark subjects.
• Tenebrous Kate’s Home Page
  - Get your dose of Art, Gothic, and Horror info and humor–test your Gothic
  Quotient, get audited for Vampirism, and check out the lovely and talented
  Horror Divas!
• Thee Gothyk Layre -
  Robyn’s writings about her life, her cancer surgery, the housemate from
  hell, home renovations, religious intolerance, favorite music, movies, and
  books.
• thewhiterose’s
  Home Page – The White Rose
• Tinsil86’s homepage
  - Vampires and stories of 86. The dimension they don’t want you to know
  about. Also, another story I wrote on Gothic freaks in the world, and
  love-hate relationships.
• The Tremere
  Virtual Chantry – Website for the Tremere, vampire clan of the Kindred
  Camarilla.
• 
  Twisted Vampress – Personal page of Pandi, formerly of Atlanta, GA moved
  to Tuscaloosa, AL and looking for goth type people with same interest.
• Vampi the Vegetarian
  Vampire – Includes recipes, profile, pictures, and movie reviews.
• Vampire – Offers information and
  history about vampires including theories on creation, death, types, and
  names. Specializing in Ricean beliefs.
• Vampire
  Blood – Provides information on Anne Rice, her books, information on
  vampires, and stories.
• Vampire
  Bohimeon’s Homepage – This is the site for Bohimeon. It tells all about
  him.
• Vampire Connection -
  Anne Rice information, characters, fan fiction, novels, films and movies,
  roleplaying and message boards.
• Vampire Hunters
  Domain – Anime, Comics, Star Wars, And more to come!
• The Vampire Hunter’s
  Guild – Reviews of movies, books, music, games and other horror-related
  media, articles on vampire mythology and history.
• Vampire Junction – Art,
  writtings, shopping, and links.
• Vampire Lover Home Page – Susan
  Zoon, cubist artist and horror fiction author of VAMPIRE LOVER, seeks
  literary representation. Object: Publication Screenplay option
• Vampire Moon – This is a book
  on about the vampire named Vern.
• Vampire Vampire Vampire
  - Links, stories and general information.
• Vampires – the
  Immortal Undead – Shadow alternative
• Vampires and Werewolves -
  Image galleries, forum, newsletter, song lyrics and general information.
• The Vampire’s
  Vault – Resource site with lots of information.
• Vampire’s Vision on
  Life – Features biography, tribute to female vampires, backgrounds,
  poetry, web rings, banners and links.
• 
  Vampires.Children of the night – Vampire information. Myths, legends and
  history. Also some stuff about real vampires today to come.
• Vampiric Slaves Dead
  - Features vampires, artwork, tests, poetry, lyrics, horror GIFs, images and
  links.
• Vampirism
  - History of vampires, message board, personal views.
• The Vampyre Syndicate -
  Files, visuals, scream savers, wallpaper, soundfiles and links.
• 
  Vampyre Tower – Dedicated to vampires and their origin.
• Veyanne’s Fear -
  Veyanne balances the mundane aspects of life with a darker nightlife.
  Information on the Vampyre clan Vitae Dominae.
• Vlad
  Dracula – The life of Vlad the Impaler, the Romanian ruler on whom the
  Dracula legend was based.
• The World of Vampires
  - Information from the legends originated in Romania to real vampire bats.
• Xavier Cross’
  Vampire – Take the vampire probability test.

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Halloween Shops

• Alarming Products Halloween
  Horror Masks – AlarmingProducts.com is the largest online retailer of
  halloween masks and horror props on the internet. We carry thousands of
  different masks and props, something that will scare even the bravest of
  hearts!
• All Costumes – Almost any Halloween Costume,
  Mask, Makeup, Prop and Accessory
  Order Securely Online Or Call Toll Free 1-888-433-9220
• Annie’s Costumes
  - AnniesCostumes.com is the complete source for costumes, costume
  accessories, Halloween merchandise, masks, wigs, makeup, holiday
  merchandise, magic, illusions, tricks, and gags. This page has spooky
  costumes for Halloween or any occasion.
• Avalon USA -
  “Halloween Costumes, Costumes, Vinyl Halloween costumes, Costume, Halloween
  wigs, Halloween cloaks, Halloween capes, Halloween ghoul robes, Halloween
  gloves, Halloween masks, Halloween hats, Halloween accessories, vinyl
  Halloween costumes, vinyl costumes.
• Backstage Prosthetics
  - One of the
  world’s finest producers of film quality prosthetics
• Bad Planet’s Halloween
  City

  - Halloween Costumes, Masks, Accessories, Props and much more. Visit
  BadPlanet.com for all the new Halloween costumes this year.

• Baking Shop.com
  Halloween Cake Decorations
• BJ Winslow Cadavers and Props -
  BJ Winslow is a prop artist who works primarily on medical and death related
  programs. Hearse rental also available.
• Bone Clones, Skull Replicas -
  Bone Clones, offers animal and human skulls, skeletons, hominids, all items
  of special interest to anthropologists, zoologists, educators,
  paleontologists, collectors, artists, cinema, and anyone interested in
  natural history products.
• The
  Bridge School Halloween Costumes – An archive of instructions for
  children’s costumes. Includes costumes suitable for children with limited
  mobility, including kids in wheel chairs. Photos.
• Buy Costumes.com

  *awesome* – BuyCostumes.com is the web’s most popular store for Halloween
  costumes, accessories and props as well as party supplies and decorations.
  Visit our Halloween costume and party supply store today. Shop online or
  call us at 800-459-2969

• Chamber of Horrors -
  Halloween costumes for adults – children and kids at the lowest prices!
• Chocolate Coffins at Mackenzies Chocolates
• Chocolate
  Fantasies’ Halloween Chocolates
• Chocolate
  Halloween Molds at Creative Treets
• Chocolate
  Vault.com’s Chocolate Halloween Party Favors
• Collectibles Today’s Halloween Store
  - Shop now for Unique and Exclusive Halloween Home Decorations! Huge
  selection of fun Halloween Villages, spooky Halloween Tabletop Decorations
  and more Outdoor and Indoor Halloween Decoration Ideas to spice up your
  Halloween Decor. You can find collectible Department 56 Halloween villages
  and Halloween haunted houses as also Hawthorne village Halloween home
  decorations featuring Pirates of the Caribbean, The Munsters, Tim Burton’s
  Nightmare before Christmas, Universal Studios Monsters and more!
• Corpses For Sale – Lifesize,
  realistic, decayed corpse props for sale or rent and other corpse related
  products.
• Costume Cuzzins Halloween
  Costumes – We are a premier online provider of Costumes and Lingerie
  since 1997 where Customer Service and Price is still a priority!
• Costumes and Masks.com -
  CostumesandMasks.com has the Largest Collection of Costumes, Masks, and
  Accessories on the Internet with the Lowest Prices on the Web!
• Custom Creatures – The
  CustomCreatures website is a complete one-stop shop for Halloween props
  ranging from home haunters to professional dark ride attractions. We carry a
  full line of props for use in Film, TV, and Haunted House productions.
• Danny’s Trix & Kix
• DarkSide Studio Masks
• Day of the Dead
• Day of the Dead at Milagros Gallery
• Dear Bloody Mary (Makeup)
• Death Studios
• ECostumes.com
• Extreme Halloween -
  Halloween Costumes in all sizes at Extreme Halloween.com. Your online
  shopping source for adult Halloween costumes, children’s Halloween costumes,
  Halloween decorations, Halloween masks, Halloween Makeup and Halloween
  costume accessories.
• Fake Teeth (Billy Bob Teeth)
• Facades FX Catalog
• FearMakers
• Frightcatalog.com
• FrightProps.com
• FrightShop.com
• Fun ‘N Folly Costume Shop
• Gore Galore
• Halloween Bros.
• Halloween Cookies
• Halloween Costume
  Boutique
• Halloween Costumes 4U.com
• Halloween Costume Shop
• Halloween Costumes USA
  - Halloween costumes for any occasion from Halloween Costumes USA. Adult
  Halloween Costumes, Teen Halloween Costumes, Child Halloween Costumes,
  Pirates, Sexy Halloween Costumes, Funny Halloween Costumes.
• Halloween Gifts.com
• The Halloween Group
• Halloween Haunted
  Props.com
• Halloween Lights at Xmas-Depot.com
• Halloween Mart – Large
  selection of Halloween costumes, props, decorations and accessories. We have
  costumes for all occassions for kids, babies, adults, pets, and more. Shop
  online or call us at 800-881-4877.
• Halloween Mask.com -
  Halloween Masks, Costumes, Accessories and Props. Visit HalloweenMask.com
  for all the new Halloween masks this year.
• Halloween-Mask.com -
  Halloween mask place – quality Halloween masks from large studios and
  independent artists from their studios. Vampires, werewolves, monsters,
  demons, and more direct from the mask makers themselves.
• Halloween Scene
• Halloween Table Decorations, at Marzipan World
• Halloween Toys.com
• Halloween Costume World
• Halloween Costume
  Construction – Information on creating costumes with a focus on Xena.
• Halloween Direct
• Halloween Goodies
  - Buy Halloween costumes, music, videos and books.
• Halloween
  House
• Halloween Shop -
  Offers costumes, recipes, haunted house locator, party tips, and masks
• Halloween Street.Com
• Halloween at Traditions
• Halloween Unlimited
• Halloween Zone
• Halloweenie.com: Adult Halloween
  Costumes
• Harrison’s Halloween Baby
  Costumes
• Haunt.Info
• The Haunted Paintings of Lewis
  Barrett Lehrman
• Haunt Idea Kit
• Haunted Halloween.com
• Haunted Headstones
• Haunted Memories
• Haunted Planet
• Hauntmasters
• Hollywood Toys and Costumes
• The Horror Dome
• iHalloweenCostumes.com
• The Iron Kingdom
• Kathy’s Halloween
  Candy
• Killer Pumpkins.com
• Kreation X
• Lynx Lair
• Magic Tricks.com’s
  Halloween
• Magic Makers Costumes -
  Costume rentals and retail merchandise. Complete on-line catalog.
• Masterpiece Pumpkins
• Merimask Designs
• Monster Makers – For
  Do-It-Yourself Monster Makers ranging from amateur hobbyists to professional
  SPFX artists; supplies for use in Film, TV, and Haunted House productions.
• Morbid Mask Studios
• Night Haunt Studios
• Old Fashion Halloween
• PaleEye – A shop selling
  professional FX for professional and home haunters.
• Party America’s Costumes
• Phantasmechanics
• Presentpicker.com’s Halloween Page
• Pumpkin Masters
• Sabretooth
• Scareshop.com
• Scary Faces
• SC Halloween Costumes
• Scream Team
• Silent Creations
• Skeleton Coast
• Skulls Direct
• Smiths Grove Masks
• Soap Molds for
  Halloween, at Bramble Berry
• Spectral Motion’s
  Stuff
• SpookyFX
• Spooky
  Halloween Books
• Spookynews, at
  eBay
• Spooky Planet
• Star Costumes
• Store-Halloween.com
• The Costume Gallery -
  Directory of costume resources. Period clothing and hair styles, courses on
  period clothing and its construction, research library, and consultations.
• The Costume Page – A
  comprehensive index of costume links for those who study and/or make
  costumes.
• The Costumer’s Manifesto -
  Includes photographs, renderings, history and information on costuming.
  Extensive links collection.
• Cyndi’s List – Clothing
  & Costumes – General resource sites, accessories, regional,
  preservation, and vendors.
• Milieux – The Costume Site
  - A web index for costumers and those interested in costume. History,
  images, research, museums, instruction, organizations, events, and large
  source/suppliers listings.
• Terror Castle Creations
• Terror Labs
• Tiny Tidings Halloween Party Invitations
• Trick – R – Treat Online -
  Mens costumes, womens costumes, childrens costumes, baby costumes, novelty
  costumes and pet costumes from the Halloween Store.
• Vintage Cat’s Antique
  Halloween Items – Vintage Plastic and Tin Halloween Treasures

Halloween Music

• 
  Absolutely for Spooky Tunes – Collection of MIDI files comprising
  renowned spooky tunes.
• Bewitched – List of
  songs and classical compositions suitable for witches and hauntings,
  together with history of cultural influences, compiled by Eric “Mystic”
  Meece. Links to neo-pagan and mystical California groups.
• 
  Millspaugh Mansion’s Music – List of Halloween music files including
  MP3, wav, and streaming formats.
• 
  Our Halloween Song – Special Halloween song for kids called “Jolly Ole
  Great Pumpkin.”
• 
  13th Track Halloween Radio – A large online collection of Halloween
  party songs, movie soundtracks, ghost stories, sound effects, and spooky
  recordings.
• Wolf, Lucan – Vampire songs from
  the “Lord of the Night,” frightfully romantic, as well as posters and
  T-shirts picturing the stylish vocalist.

Halloween Online Games

• 
  Ben and Jerry’s Halloween Games – Games involving a mummy, pumpkins, the
  undead, and skeltons. Require Shockwave.
• 
  Carve-a-Pumpkin at PrimaryGames.com – Create your own Jack-O’-Lanterns
  with this java game.
• 3D Halloween Adventure
  - Trick or Treat through a 3D Halloween world solving puzzles using 3dml by
  Flatland.
• Free Halloween Games – Offers
  holiday jigsaw puzzles, concentration, mah jong, and sokoban, plus a slider
  puzzle.
• Kid’s Domain
  Halloween Games – Large assortment of games and links to games suitable
  for children. Some require Java or Shockwave.
• Phantoms’ Halloween Zone
  - Offers Halloween games including whack a ghoul, a corn maze, haunted
  jukebox, skeleton, Hangman, and pumpkin carving.
• Trick
  Tac Toe – Logic puzzle–Compete against the computer to get three bones
  in a row.

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New Music Resource for Band Directors, Combo Musicians and Worship Band
Leaders

By Jim Green

New website offers Jazz/Rock Combo Band
Arrangements for use with Jr. High and High School Level Instrumental Ensembles.

Dixon, IL, August 20, 2008- Music Directors who have
difficulty finding material for small bands with non-standard or fluctuating
instrumentations, may find this new website to be of value. CubotMusic specializes in contemporary arrangements of public domain
hymns and worship music, written with junior high and high school age musicians
in mind.

The arrangements are generally written for 3 horns and a rhythm
section. However, a generous array of alternate parts is included to allow for
other instrumentations.

Many of the songs provide the opportunity to
learn improvisational skills. Another unique feature of each arrangement is the
inclusion of Improv. Guides which offer suggestions for successful soloing.

The music is provided as a downloadable zip file containing PDF’s of score
and instrumentation, with permission to copy the individual parts as needed to
outfit the band. Each song featured on the site has a demo recording, as well as
a preview of one of the notated parts.

A forum is available for
performers and band directors to talk about our music, discuss teaching
material/technique, and connect with musicians across the globe.

The
arrangements have been prepared by Jim Green, band director at Faith Christian
School, in Grand Detour, IL. He has used the songs for his junior high and high
school groups, as well as for his family band and church worship team. “It’s
difficult to find fun, interesting material for the odd mixture of instruments
that I get to work with each year,” says Green. “The tunes also need to be
friendly enough for younger players, and accessible on a limited rehearsal
schedule. I think there will be a large market for this product.”

Contact:

Jim Green
CubotMusic.com
1(815)284-8026

http://www.cubotmusic.com/

####

For more
information:
Keywords: music,jazz,rock,cubot,arrangements,fun,band,band
directors,directors,instruments

Contact us: www.cubotmusic.com

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Making Flyers (For Beginners)
By Janice Jenkins

Although many business owners nowadays are converting to online marketing to promote their products and services, print collaterals such as flyers still have their appeal to most entrepreneurs.

Traditional marketers still go for custom flyers as time-tested strategies to market their merchandise. The way they’ve always done it is to hand out their print flyers to their target clients, hoping that the design and layout gets the attention of the recipients.
As marketing collateral goes, full color flyers are highly popular not only because they’re simple and cost effective; custom flyers are the print materials that can help you get up close and personal with your clients. In fact, they are the closest you can get your message to your target clients, without having to discriminate.

So whatever merchandise or item you’re selling, or if you’re opening a new business, a color flyer is one of the most cost effective marketing collateral that you can use for your retail business.

Here’s how you can create your very own custom flyer printing:

Step 1: Choose the color of your paper.

You might go traditional and opt for white. But if you want to be unusual and out-of-the-ordinary, choose colored paper for your flyers. The most popular colors are light pink, light blue, yellow, and light green. And if you are bold, try bright pink, electric blue or even shocking orange.

The trick is to create a good contrast between your paper and your graphics and text. If you’re planning on using bright colors for your paper, choose lighter shades on your graphics and typeface.

Step 2: Develop a snappy and catchy headline.

In addition to your graphics and design, your headline is the only time that you can really capture the attention of your audience. Provide a catchy headline and hook them with powerful descriptive words that sum up your merchandise.

Don’t forget: be simple, clear and concise.

Step 3: Add your graphics.

There are available graphics and clip art in your design software program. All you have to do is pick one or two that can emphasize what you have to say in your custom flyer.

But be sure to keep your graphics simple. You wouldn’t want to distract your clients’ attention to what is more important – your message.

Or if you’re on a tight budget, printing costs can be cut down by using your text and the typeface. Even your font can be your graphic design.

Step 4: Write your copy.

Your flyer copy should be straightforward and direct to the point. You can’t afford to go on and on with very limited space in your color flyers. Don’t waste your time and your clients’ time with too many words. Use simple everyday words to make your message clear.

Step 5: Have your color flyers printed.

Step 6: And you’re done.

Janice Jenkins is a writer for a marketing company in Chicago, IL. Mostly into marketing research, Janice started writing articles early 2007 to impart her knowledge to individuals new to the marketing industry.

For comments and inquiries about the article visit:

href=”http://www.printplace.com/printing/printing-flyers.aspx”>Flyer Printing Service

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Club Card Flyers Printing – How To Make Your Event Invitations Work
By Rachelle Ann Lim

Club card flyers printing provides you with a very cost effective way of marketing your products and events. But if you see your fliers in the trash can hours before your event, it is a sure fire sign that you should evaluate your club card flyer design.

The club cards should embody the look and the feel of your event. Here are some things to consider when you design your club cards:

Creating Club Cards for Formal Events

• When making the design for flyers to be used in formal events like galas, openings, dinners, product launching and induction ceremonies, your flyers should have an air of credibility. The look should be official, sophisticated, and formal.

• Size is also an important factor to consider. On events like baptismal parties, wedding ceremonies, receptions or golden anniversaries, you should consider using a 5×7 inch club card flyer as invitations. Why? Because a 5×7 inch club card flyer gives you just enough space to hold texts or messages. The more 5×7 postcard sufficiently accommodates more text that allows you to personalize your postcard further. You can use short poems or any type of prose, a list of principal sponsors, personal messages even gift registry.

• On the other hand, a 4×6 inch club card is ideal for using as invitation flyers for parties. This size allows the club card to act as a teaser. It is short enough to be intriguing, but long enough to include event details. This size is also very convenient for your target audience since it fits perfectly in most planners, ladies’ hand bags, and gentlemen’s coat pockets.

Club Cards for Informal Events

Since informal events are packaged to be fun and exciting, your club card flyer should be designed with the idea of youth and liveliness at heart. Think of college parties, soirees, and fund raiser fairs and bazaars.

• You should make use of custom sizes offered by digital printing companies. You can try printing on small sizes like 3 x 5 almost similar to a business card, with your slogan in front and details in small print at the back. You can also choose to print in larger sizes too that can some in at standard sizes up to 11 x 17..

• Use high gloss paper in your club card flyers. Give it an added gloss feel and makes it as rich as you possibly can – bringing out the colors of your designs and giving it a smoother feel.

• And when the budget allows it, you can use die cutting to further improve your design. Give away a car shaped club card flier for the launching of your new car collection, car expos and shows or you can send out a martini glass shaped club card flier as invitation for a cocktail party. Easily shape it to the theme of your event and make it as unique as possible.

You can also go online to see what options printing companies have to customize your designs. Use your imagination and explore the different possibilities you have with club card flyers printing.

The author is a very energetic person. She loves to play badminton and volleyball. She likes taking care of dogs. She is an outgoing person. She always wants to have fun in everything she does.
Please visit our website Club Card Flyers for further information. Or copy and paste the link
http://www.mypostcardprinting.com/Club-card-flyers.html . My Postcard Printing

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Halloween Costumes – Not Just For Kids!
By Keith Sinclair

Nowadays fancy dress costumes and dressing up are essential parts of the festivities surrounding Halloween. Halloween has its roots and origins in Ireland and it is widely considered that it dates back to a Celtic tradition of Samhain Eve when it was believed that the links between the living world and that of the dead were at their strongest.

During these Celtic celebrations bonfires were lit in order to prevent evil spirits from destroying or damaging crops and livestock and there was a practise of dressing as different animals in order to tell the fortunes of others. This is widely believed to be the derivation of the tradition of dressing up at Halloween.

The name Halloween comes from the eve of All Hallows’ which was what All Saint’s Day was called during medieval times.

Although today’s children choose to dress up as their own favourite superhero or other cartoon character, it was the case that people would dress up as ghosts or goblins in order to confuse the spirits that returned to this world during All Hallows’ Eve and roamed in search of souls to take.

In today’s society, the choice of costume reflects more the personality of the wearer than it does tradition although a great number of children do still enjoy dressing as ghosts, witches, ghouls and other Halloween nasties. And maybe it doesn’t really matter that they don’t understand why.

And dressing up is not just for the children. In today’s market more sales are registered on adult costumes than on the traditional children’s sector. In the main, the adult market sector comprises two main elements, the first which mirrors costumes similar to those of the children and those which are a little er; shall we just say a little racier and wilder. It is therefore very important to keep in mind the type of event that you will be attending when making your costume selection.

This is the major rule to keep in mind when selecting your costumes; you need to determine what you actually need it for.

Is it required for a child who will be going trick or treating? If so, then you should make sure that there is no impairment to visibility and that it would not restrict them in walking. From the other perspective, it should not be so scary that people opening their doors will feel intimidated and scared – more so with older children and teenagers wearing masks. If it is to be worn outside then it should be able to keep the child warm as a costume hidden under a coat is actually no costume at all.

The same basics apply to the adult costume if they are accompanying children on trick or treating. The considerations of warmth, restriction of movement and restriction to vision all need to be taken into account when selecting an adult costume in-order to keep the group safe.

If on the other hand the costume is to be worn at a kiddies Halloween celebration party or adults Halloween cocktail party then the costume selection is likely to be much different. So understanding the kind of event that you need the costume for is key to allowing you to find the right one.

Once you have created a list of possible costume ideas you need to research whether you want to make it or buy one already made. Certainly, there is nothing nicer than a hand made costume and there are a number of readily available patterns available from larger haberdashery stores or departments which you can adapt or make as presented. It will take time and having gone this route a couple of times when our own children were much smaller finding the right fabrics and finishing pieces is usually the major headache. As an example I remember my wife spending hours gluing different coloured fruit pastilles to a dress so that our daughter had the perfect Elisabeth I dress (and yes, it was perfect).

There are two main routes to purchase your Halloween costume. Firstly you can visit your local fancy dress hire shop and trawl the costumes and accessories that they will have available. In the larger stores in the States, this is a more pleasurable experience as they seldom hire, and this market is shrinking given the reducing overall price differential between hire and buy.

The other alternative is to consider buying online. There are a number or very good internet based fancy dress costume retailers and all should offer secure money transaction and most a no quibble money back guarantee subject to some sensible provisos. Online retailers tend to lay their shops out so that it’s easy to find the costume that you are looking for and a few will have an exceptional variety of fancy dress costume accessories. And in the main, it is the careful selection of your costume accessories that really brings the whole costume together.

Karnival Costumes stocks a huge selection of fancy dress costumes and accessories for Halloween or for any other party theme you may choose. We have a whole section devoted to Halloween and as well as huge ranges of costumes and accessories, we are also specialists in supplying Halloween props, decorations and party goods. Feel free to browse our website and purchase your costumes and accessories with confidence from one of the leading costume suppliers in the UK. Go to: http://www.karnival-house.co.uk/acatalog/Halloween.html

We also have a large selection of articles on a wide range of party themed topics. Why not join our newsletter for up to date information on the latest trends in costumes, news and notification of our special offers.

Alternatively; for everything Halloween including articles, jokes, projects and entertaining tips visit our sister website Halloween-UK at http://www.halloween-uk.com

Article submitted by: KV Sinclair. Keith Sinclair has over 35 years of business experience and in addition to being a part time University Lecturer on Business Studies, he is CEO of Cavalcade; a group of companies operating in the party sector. Cavalcade operates Karnival-House at karnival-house.co.uk one of the UK’s leading internet Fancy Dress Retailers. With massive stocks for immediate dispatch and an ever expanding range, Karnival-House continues to strive simply to offer outstanding service combined with outstanding value.

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Sinister Forces – A Grimoire of American Political Witchcraft -Book III – The Manson Secret
By William J. Gallagher

In my first review of Peter Levendas Sinister Forces series, I imagined Mr. Levendas appearance to be something like that of Bela Lugosi, with a goatee. This of course led me to a search, and the only picture I could find of Mr. Levenda on the internet was from a gathering of authors and publishers in Coconut Grove Florida, and he DOES look something like Bela Lugosi, though larger, and with glasses; and He DOES have a goatee! Or he did, at least, in the picture I am referring to. It was as if I had intuited something about this author, and though I found this revelation somewhat odd, I did not give it too much energy.

Not then, at least.

It was also during that first book that I found myself occasionally thinking in some cases that certain informations within seemed somehow…incomplete…only to find the information which explained these situations in the next book of the series, haunting me if you will, with not precognition, but answers to precognition…many times these answers contained EXACT wording and phrases as I had noted them in passing, or mentioned them in terms during my writing about the book! I stopped this critiquing during book III, and just satisfied myself that all was being made known. Truthfully, I was somewhat relieved that there are only three books in this series, if for no other reason than I do not know how much of this I could stand! It was more than coincidence. Much more. If you get the books, you will certainly see for yourself, and I do recommend them highly, however disconcerting some of the content may be.

Hard core readers are usually a little jaded, at least, and always looking for new experiences among the symbols. George Carlin once described our type as being Symbol Minded, and I guess thats as good a description as any. I assure you that the Sinister Forces books, by Peter Levenda, will assist you in your quest toward new, unique symbology, and most likely well beyond any expectations you may have.

Yes, many odd experiences and coincidences occurred during my reading of these 3 books by Peter Levenda. The only thing that came close was over ten years ago, after reading a book by Philip K. Dick, called Valis, and though I was astounded at that time by coincidences piled one upon another, that was nothing compared to the seemingly prescient ultra-sensitivity these books by Levenda created within my psyche. Many is the time during the reading of the series that I found myself in deep contemplation for many minutes, putting pictures together, from my past, and, perhaps, my future as well. I was becoming immersed in a flow that I had hitherto ill-perceived, and it is an instructional ride, oh yeahhhhhhh.

This is not too surprising really, considering that coincidence and its related institutions play a large part, perhaps even a Super-Conscious part, in this three book series which shows, among many other things, and in many startling and evocative ways, that there really is no such thing as coincidence, just a very intricate but meaningful weave and weft APPEARING to us as coincidence, but which is actual reality, and it is ALIVE. Boo.

Within this living thing are we, the id entitys, individual identities, and though infantile and dangerous for the most part, we influence the whole, as any part of any thing does. A vast majority of the time our influence in the All is en passant, without will or meaning. Even within this higgledy-piggledy massively ignorant state of existence which we physical beings inhabit, there are some who have taken it upon themselves to learn their place within the body of reality, and to thereby influence it, in what can only be called a conscious manner, however malign or evil some of these people may be.

Think — Instruments Of Torture — think Idolatry of instruments of torture. Sometimes the greatest evil is that which occurs all unbeknownst, disguised as goodness and love, within and by large groups of well meaning, but very ignorant people. That is my opinion at least, and it is based on long term observation, for what its worth. While delving into the books dealing with sinister forces I was rather astounded at certain of the revelations concerning the outwardly holy, who were, via scrutiny, revealed to be demons par excellence, whose god, if they have one, is nothing more than conflict, torture, hate and human suffering. We all know these people. Many are in government today. Many preach their ideology weekly, on TV, or in churches around the world.

In Book III of Sinister Forces a good case is made for positive influences, good people, to learn and develop control of our psychic lives in order to actually combat, or perhaps balance out the powers who would use reality to further their personal agendas, which seem comprised of what can only be called bad things. We must learn, and try hard, to overcome the employers of Sinister forces, or we are doomed to the world as it is right now, and is that not a sorry state, after all?

I think we should all learn to pray, instead of what the evil ones teach and do, and that is prey.

Also in my review of book one, I felt that Mr. Levenda must be, by nature, a very serious type of person, and though I found this to be fairly true throughout my further readings of this authors work, I was also pleasantly surprised to see that Peter Levenda possesses a wry and well developed wit, which is all the more powerful because of the subject matter at hand, and because of the artful way in which he purveys it. More than a few times I found myself laughing hard about something anomalous; anomalous in the sense it was dealing with death and destruction, but was described in such a way that humor was the inevitable result. There is no escape from these lovely surprises dear reader, and because these humorous incidents are timed perfectly and seemingly innocent, they can only be called comic relief of the highest sort. Several examples come quickly to mind, and I will not delve too deeply into this aspect of Mr. Levendas art, though his reference to Richard Nixon as one of histories great dirty jokes was one certainly memorable humor within.

Mr. Levendas coverage and interpretation of Quantum States as applied to human consciousness, and the body of reality, within which are we, the parts, was very valuable to me, and I am sure most readers will find this distillation by the author extremely agreeable, as opposed to the actual physics, which are daunting to say the least.

Mr. Levenda is intrigued by the work of two well known quantum physicists: Roger Penrose and Stuart Hameroff, whose work — Orchestrated Reduction of Quantum Coherence in Brain Microtubules: a Model For Consciousness, has been hailed as a new way to describe how thinking and perception really work, especially in relation to our view of reality. As one might expect, the US military has had great interest in all this, and employed these two scientists as consultants and representatives during a series of meetings sponsored by DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency). It is part and parcel of the militaries continuing though covert interest in remote viewing, psychic spying, and other spooooky types of behavior. Below are a few excerpts of the Penrose/Hameroff work from book III of the Sinister Forces Series:

…Another feature of quantum systems is quantum inseparability, or non-locality, which implies that all quantum objects which have ever interacted are in some sense still connected! When two quantum systems have interacted, their wave functions become phase entangled, so that when one systems wave function is collapsed, the other systems wave function, no matter how far away, instantly collapses as well. This non-local connection (Phase Entanglement), is independent of distance and implies that the quantum entities, by sharing a wave function, are indivisible… (Ansibel-ed.)

And another tidbit from Book III of the Sinister Forces Series:

…The problem is the transition….why and how do microscopic superposed states become classical and definite in the macro-world? This problem is called quantum state reduction, or collapse of the wave function, and it may be the key to both consciousness and reality…The wave function collapse is non-reversible in time, and it is the successive collapse of wave functions at the micro-tubule level that gives rise, in effect, to the passage of time (its seeming unidirectional nature: past-present-future) and thus to consciousness itself. This seems to solve the conundrum posed by Penrose in 1994 that the laws of physics are the same whether time flows forward or backward, and that the sensation of time going in one direction only is therefore a function of consciousness, since there are no physical laws to account for it…

The application of Quantum Mechanics to human reality is even more confusing considering it takes other sciences such as neurobiology, along with QM, to fully explain things we take for granted, like seeing, perceiving, memory, thought. It must be stated that there is no theory of physics that describes reality as well as the Quantum explanations, and though they are inexplicable to many, the multiverse is real, and you are a part of them! So lets get busy!

Overall, these three books in the Sinister Forces series deal with the United States Governments never-ending and no-holds-barred quest for mind control of its citizens, along with nazi involvement in that quest, and others, such as the catholic church, black magicians everywhere, and the intelligence apparat, as general as that term is. One begins to see, beyond doubt, after reading these books, that history can many times be considered a painting, where some brush strokes are bold and colorful, while others are muted and slight, though all a part of the whole, which in itself is a creation more than anything else. A contrivance.

The work of Mr. Peter Levenda is extremely well researched, and cannot be slighted in any way. There is no way that even the most informed reader on these subjects can come away empty handed from this literal smorgasbord of facts about the US governments continuing and frenzied involvement in the occult, the ramifications of this involvement to the citizens of the USA alongwith the world at large, as well as overall reality and our places in it. Do yourself a service, if you are inquisitive in the least: Get the three books of the Sinister Forces series by Peter Levenda, and see for yourself just where you are right now.

Published By:
TrineDay
Post Office Box 577
Walterville OR 97489
1-800-556-2012
www.TrineDay.com
publisher@TrineDay.com

Bill Gallagher, Hachita NM

www.autodidactics.com
http://www.myspace.com/luxefaire

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