| |  | | | | Vampire Cocktail | | | | | Usually, glasses are rimmed with salt to help flavor margaritas, but at Halloween, rims coated with vampire's blood seem much more appropriate. If you experience any difficulty extracting the blood of the undead, you can substitute 1/4 teaspoon corn syrup and 3 tablespoons red food coloring—a mixture that's sure to give your lips a vampirish gleam. Pour the mixture onto a small plate, slowly spin the glass into it to coat the entire rim, and turn the glass upright. Let the blood drip slightly for an eerie effect, then fill the glass with piña ghoulada. | | | Recipe | Piña Ghoulada
Makes 10 to 12 eight-ounce servings | | 20 ounces pineapple juice, plus more if needed
1 fifteen-ounce can cream of coconut
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup orange juice
10 ounces good-quality rum (optional) | | |
| | | | | | Scary Airplants | | | | | We’ve come up with yet another unique idea for Halloween: Making scary decorations out of air plants. Air plants (genus Tillandsia) derive their nutrients from air and water, and usually grow on other plants or on rocks. They are characterized by long, pointed leaves that grow upward in a dramatic curvy fashion. Today, Martha demonstrates how to make a “shrunken head” and a framed “spider” shadow. To make the creepy “shrunken head,” all you need is a small Tillandsia xerographica and some glow-in-the dark eyeballs. Simply stick the eyeballs into the crevices of the plant. | | | TECHNIQUE | Making a Framed Spider Shadow
22-gauge cloth-wrapped floral wire
Needle-nose pliers
Tilly Tacker adhesive
Small Tillandsia bulboso
Hand drill
Picture frame without the back
Double-sided tape
Vellum, cut to the same size as frame
1/4-inch-diameter wooden dowel cut into two 2-inch lengths
Votive candle or small utility flashlight | | | 1. Make the spider: Twist together 4 pieces of wire at the center. Fan out the wires for the spider’s legs. Using pliers, twist the end of each leg into a spiral, going about 1/2 way up the length of the wire. Bend the twisted center into a “v” shape. Using your fingers, crimp the legs and feet. Using Tilly Tacker adhesive, glue the air plant to the spider’s “body.” | | | 2. Make the frame: Drill a 1/4-inch hole on the frame back at each of the bottom corners. Apply double-sided tape to the back side of the frame. Lay vellum over tape. Insert a dowel into each holes; these will support the frame so it can stand up. Bend and adjust the legs of your spider to give the plant some height. Set spider behind frame. Place a votive candle or flashlight behind the spider so that the plant is between the frame and the candle. Be very careful with the candlelight; put it in a place where it can be supervised. | | |
# posted by Skylightsky @ 6:43 PM
