I’m always panicked before the Halloween party, worried that no one will show up. Every guest that arrives makes me happier and happier until I get to a strangely giddy state of intoxication that has NOTHING to do with alcohol. It was a great party this year and I’m so glad we were all able to enjoy it together.

Here are the winners:

Funniest Costume: Jason Alderman as War of the Worlds Alien

Scariest Costume: Charlie as a vampire

Sexiest Costume: Lisa as a steampunk show girl

Best Potluck: Stacey and Dan’s Pumpkin Sloppy Joes (they also made four different kinds of homemade ice cream, but nothing beats sloppy joes in a pumpkin!)

Beast of Show: Jennifer and Clint for the best steampunk couple

You can see all the Halloween Party photos here:

Such a diabolical look for a child. You can see a slideshow of the photos here:

Via: Go Retro!: Ghosts of Halloween Past

In the end, we had to hide the bat in the pantry until the night of the party because Elvis spent all his time meowing at it.

The benefit of being so much taller than everyone else is really appealing to me because I’m pretty short, even for a girl, but the thought of balancing on stilts for an entire convention or even the Halloween party sounds like a nightmare.

Look how much taller he is than his friends:

Honestly, the entire group looks awesome!

Great work on costuming, people! Keep it up!

• Mother Rising: Recyclobot

He took his Recyclobot for a spin at a Halloween party at our local community center and he made quite a scene. Children circled around him trying to get a closer look, and parents were taking photos. I could hear him inside saying, “I’m not a real robot…I’m just pretending”.

Not pictured, she also had dryer tubing for his arms. It was even better in real life because she used some LEDs under the bottle cap eyes to make them glow.

The tiny LED lights can be found in the wedding section at Michaels and are often used to illuminate balloons.

If you can’t find them at Michael’s, then you can buy them here for 18 bucks a bag.

• White LED Dec-O-Lite Decoration and Economy Balloon Light from Windy City Novelties

They have three settings: constant on, slow blink and fast blink. They last for approximately 8 hours on a button battery, so that’s plenty of time to last for a Halloween party.

I had never heard of balloon lights before I read this entry, so I’m excited about all the things you could do with them. High tech costuming just got a WHOLE lot easier! Imagine being able to make yourself a positronic brain just like Data in Star Trek.

When I first looked at this costume, it just looked like a normal kid’s robot costume, but when I heard about those balloon lights, my whole life shifted just a little.

Via: ikea hacker: Kiddy hacks

You can see it in action here:

Here is her description of how she made it:

It’s basically a balsa wood keepsake box from a craft store which I then cut a hole in the front (with a Dremel) for the screen, sanded, stained with oil-based stain, varnished and attached brass hinges and corners from the craft store with screws and glue. The buttons and speaker cover are brass washers from Home Depot.

I’m tempted to try this hack for my own costume because it’s THAT awesome! I especially love the loop for hanging on a belt clip.

Every year, I obsess about the potluck competition of the Halloween party, but this cake is FAR out of my league. I might be able to hire a bakery to replicate this for me, but there is no way I could achieve this on my own.

Via: Steampunk Cake! | The Steampunk Workshop

Update 10-27-09: Here is a link to another steampunk cake, which is even better than this one: Steampunk Cakes! « westerblog

More photos after the break:

You can see the rest of her photos here:

• resurrection fern: For Elsita ( and anyone else who loves papercuts)

Apparently, they are VERY small works of art:

You have to see them in person to believe just how tiny they are. Some are no larger than postage stamps or small coins.

Via: Craftzine.com blog: Paper Cuts from Musee des Miniatures

When I think of steampunk and the marriage of machines and Victorian sensibilities, this steampunk spider walker fits right in!

• The Dowager Moncur’s Spectacles: Beyond Gretna Green (Part 1 of 5) – Steampunk Stories: In which Miss Isabella Davenforth travels to Moncur Castle and remembers the chiding of the current Lord Moncur about her situation.

• The Dowager Moncur’s Spectacles: Berenice and Mystery (Part 2 of 5) – Steampunk Stories: In which our heroine, Isabella Davenforth, is introduced to the Dowager Moncur and is asked to pass a test of fortitude.

• The Dowager Moncur’s Spectacles: A Hard Day in America (Part 3 of 5) – Steampunk Stories: In which the Dowager Moncur reveals her true madness to Miss Isabella Davenforth.

• The Dowager Moncur’s Spectacles: American Notes (Part 4 of 5) – Steampunk Stories: In which Isabella Davenforth brings forth two volumes of stories to the Dowager Moncur.

• The Dowager Moncur’s Spectacles: What the Dowager Moncur Told Isabella (Part 5 of 5) – Steampunk Stories: In which the Dowager Moncur finally reveals to our brave heroine about her curious spectacles.

Since I wrote an entire story about my Halloween costume, you can imagine how excited I am for the party this Saturday! I hope it goes well!