Halloween Crafts: Eerily Elegant Decor (Paperback)

~ (Author), Mark Wood (Author)
Key Phrases: iridescent sequins, cake circle, hot glue, Banquet of the Goblin King, Harvest of Skulls, The Many Faces of Jack (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

As a regular on TV's Bewitched, Kasey Rogers (Louise Tate) has the right pedigree to produce Halloween Crafts: Eerily Elegant Decor. She and coauthor Mark Wood have dreamed up some pretty innovative approaches to such timeworn Halloween delights as pumpkin carving, table decorating, and party giving. Rather than limit carving to traditional orange pumpkins, they offer devilish red imps made of bumpy gourds and green glow-stick eyes, or a jaunty goblin king carved of green hubbard squash. A decrepit old butler figure presides over the "graveyard tea," and the "harvest of skulls" centerpiece features a tower of grinning plastic skulls topped with drippy black (electric) candles. A quartet of simple recipes makes up the "Boo-fey," along with two versions of punch contributed by another Bewitched alumnus, Bernard Fox (Dr. Bombay). The home-snapshot quality of the photographs is the one weak spot in this otherwise commendable book. Still, enough details are generally visible to help clarify the occasionally confusing directions, and the step-by-steps are mostly adequately explained. A source list provides contact information for the harder-to-find items. --Amy Handy

Product Description

Within these colourful pages, readers will find fifty beautiful, vintage looking Halloween crafts and party recipes and learn how to use them to create a special holiday. Detailed, step-by-step instructions allow all crafters to create these unique projects, including "Instant Ancestors" (faux gravestones) and a scarecrow wreath -- many could even become family heirlooms. Most projects are quick and simple, requiring not much more than a glue gun, sewing and painting. More than 100 beautiful photos show the finished craft as well as guide the reader throughout the creation process. Features: 50 upscale, beautiful, vintage looking Halloween crafts and party recipes; Stunning photos and detailed illustrations; Anecdotes about Halloween past and present.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: kp books (August 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873492919
• ISBN-13: 978-0873492911
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #620,890 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite Possibly the BEST EVER Halloween Crafts book!, July 25, 2002

By	Christina L. Bogle "calamityja" (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Last year I stopped into the our local bookstore and came across this wonderful book for Halloween! Most Halloween books really come across as chitchy and more for the kids, but this one really stood heads above the crowd! Since I'm not into the kid element, this book really can make or break your Halloween party! Just great stuff in here! I used a few of the recepies for the Spider punch, and the cookies. Also did the stone pumpkins. They were a hit at my party! I didn't have much time to use the ideas last year, but since the party was so successful, we are going to keep this book at hand from now until up until October! The projects are insightful and just great! Who thought of spraying Fleckstone to make Graveyard Stone Pumpkins?! We did the Orchard Stone statue and wanted to create the Amature Butler, but didn't have time. This year our Jack Skellington costume will be stuffed and built with the amature project in this book. We just finished making our first "Drippy Black Candle" and WOW! All I can say is this party this year will be fabulous! Most of the projects are clearly designed for adult entertaining, with none of those cheap kiddy elements, with paper masks and cardboard costumes. FINALLY something THEATRICAL!!!! Now you can have Phantom of the Opera style candles flickering though the house! Very elegant, wonderful ideas! All of them here are just fabulous, creepy, yet without going overboard into the gory, horror-movie style. Hey, let's make Halloween into a great, elegant, FUN holiday to celebrate! Adults love to have fun too, and since Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, this book really raises the bar with your haunted house and trick or treat home decorating.

Martha Stewart's Halloween book is also good, but Kasey Rodgers is so much better! More Kasey, more! Do you think you could fire up some wonderful Christmas crafts for us too? ;-)

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars finally, a halloween book that's not cutesy!, July 24, 2002

By	trystan "trystan" (Silicon Valley, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

So many halloween books are geared towards kids -- it's refreshing to find one aimed at adults. And adults with style, not just adults who like blood & gore. This book has crafts & decorations for a very elegant adult Halloween celebration. In these projects, skulls nestle among fall leaves & flowers, candles glow dramatically, & silken banners flutter in the wind. The photos are lavish, the instructions are clear, & the projects require only basic tools & sewing skills. I've been making Halloween decorations for years, but this book had beautiful new ideas I hadn't thought of & that I hadn't found in other books.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally some adult Halloween party crafts!!, August 27, 2002

By	Cathy (Rochester, MI United States) - See all my reviews

This is a well thought out, easy to follow book. Lots of pictures make this book a must buy for anyone who hosts an adult Halloween party. These are not like those easy, cutesy "country" projects you get in most books; instead they are more sophisticated for the mature Halloween addict. Most of the projects will take some time to make, so buy this book well in advance of the Halloween season. I also enjoyed the recipes and especially the patterns and templates the author provides. I recommend this book to anyone who loves Halloween and is serious about decorating.