As consumers, we have a lot to consider before making purchases; value, durability, style, environmental responsibility, and even the conditions under which the product was made. Some items are notorious for being manufactured using unfair labor practices, and unfortunately cocoa (the key ingredient in chocolate) is one of them. In 2001, the US was concerned with this subject when it was found that child slavery was involved in producing 43% of the world’s supply of cocoa! In response, Global Exchange says that, “…the US chocolate industry agreed (via the Harken-Engel Protocol) to voluntarily take steps to end child slavery on cocoa farms by July of 2005. Unfortunately, this deadline has now passed, and the chocolate industry has failed to comply with the terms of this agreement.” Nice. Is it just me, or does it seem a bit perverse that child slaves in Africa are making the chocolate that American kids are given to enjoy on Halloween?
So what can you do to help end child labor in the production of cocoa & chocolate? Simply spend your money with companies that adhere to Fair Trade practices. There are lots of retailers who produce Fair Trade chocolate, and there is even a Fair Trade Halloween kit available to take things a step further. In the kit there are (in addition to 42 delicious chocolates) 42 festive Halloween postcards to hand out that give knowledge about the importance of Fair Trade, all for just $15. (Spend $20 and you can enter coupon code ftm2006 to save 10%. Why not buy 2 or more kits to get this discount?) So you can still give out yummy chocolate candies, but toss an informative postcard into their candy sacks at the same time and you’ll help spread the word, too. Another alternative: give non-chocolate goodies on Halloween.
I haven’t sampled many of the brands that are available, but I love Lara Bars (their Maya line uses cocoa) and Dagoba, and have heard so many people rave about Green & Blacks and Endangered Species. What’s your favorite brand of Fair Trade chocolate?
We just got word of an excellent shipping promotion going on over at BuyCostumes. Starting today and only lasting 6 days, Oct 7-12, they are offering $0.99 shipping on all orders over $30. If you don’t know already, BuyCostumes has more costumes than your local costume shop without all the crowds. So avoid the traffic and have your costume delivered for under a dollar before it’s too late.
Target.com is also offering a great shipping deal on Halloween costumes. You get free shipping on all costumes purchased online from now until October 14th. We went to a few local Target stores on the first of October and they were already sold out of a bunch of Halloween items. They have some nice decor items that look like they will sell out real quick as well. So hurry and buy online while the shipping is free and the best stuff is in stock.
Buy.com is also pushing their Halloween section with up to 50% off their selection of costumes, toys, scary movies, and more. There are some scary movie box sets that look pretty appetising with this added discount. These deals die on October 31st. In addition to this up to 50% off deal Buy.com is offering $10 off any purchase of $30 if you use Google Checkout to buy the item(s).
Check back later for some more Halloween steals and deals as it becomes closer and closer to the night we’re all dying for.
Being a zombie, whether for Halloween or your local Zombie Walk, calls for some blood stained clothes and makeup to get that rotting corpse look. Having been a zombie myself I wish I would of had some good looking prosthetics in addition to my makeup and dried blood. Just a little something like an exposed broken bone, part of my brain showing, or even have the whole side of my face peeling off would have been an excellent addition. So in an effort to help others get their full enjoyment out of their next zombie costume I’d like to suggest some prosthetics that would look great on any zombie.
The most popular place to put a prosthetic is on your face/head region as that’s where every one is staring to see if they should be ready for the Zompocalypse or if it’s just a costume.
My personal picks would be; 
A simple prosthetic add-on that can make a big difference without altering you face and perhaps creating usability problems while snacking on food at your Halloween party is this Broken Bone. Another simple add-on that doesn’t involve the face would be to slap on some bullet wounds. We all know zombies don’t care about bullets so I’m envisioning these placed upon your chest or arms with holes in clothes so you can see them. Only put them on your head below the eyes, because you wouldn’t be shambling anywhere if you sustained a shot to the brain.
If you’d rather get the personal touch and go the DIY route there are some places online where you can get some good tips and suggestions. So you wanna be a Zombie? has good explanations and pictures to help with ideas and techniques. There are also some decent tips and a few pictures for zombie makeup here.
Even though Halloween is expected to generate over $5 billion in sales this year*, you don’t need a ton of cash to transform your home into a haunted house. Sure, that $8,900 Attack Alligator prop would be amazing, but what really sets the mood is lighting. Every Halloween event, from home Halloween party to professional haunt, needs spooky lighting to create realism with mood. Fake cobwebs and dangling rubber bats look pretty lame in the light of day, but place them in a dark room with flickering candles or well placed spot lighting, and they create the foreboding atmosphere they were intended to. The best part is that great lighting can be achieved quickly, easily, and on the cheap.
Candles are an obvious first choice, and can be used in a lots of ways. For a dramatic, gothic feel, try a candelabra with tall tapered candles like the one featured above from Illuminations. Luminaries are a common Halloween lighting solution, and new styles are breathing life into this old idea. The owl is not a common symbol of Halloween, but this black Own Lantern uses unique cut-outs to create a slightly menacing look that is perfect for the season. 
Bats are much more commonly used, but there isn’t much diversity in their design usage. I like how this iron Bat Lantern can be hung upside-down, like a real bat, and has a stomach that resembles a furnace. (Maybe it’s just me, but those thick grates remind me of eerie basements and horror films.)
Real candles can be used in any of these items, but fake candles have a lot of upsides worth considering. For flammable items such as real pumpkins and paper bag luminaries, electronic candles are required to avoid a call to the fire department. Even in flame-safe environments, fake candles will eliminate soot, smoke, and all fire hazard. Some places restrict use of open flame, and kids+candles should never be left unattended, so LED candles make great choices for dorm dwellers and children.
More spooky lighting is available from Fright Catalog and BuyCostumes, and Yard Haunter has some good lighting tips to further inspire you.
*Article via Ghost Droppings
Solanum Integrifolium is the Latin name for what is sometimes known as the Pumpkin Tree*. The nickname couldn’t be more appropriate; just look at those beautiful little “pumpkins”! Cuttings from this plant make gorgeous decor items for Autumn or Halloween and can be used in centerpieces, as ornaments on a Halloween tree, or on their own.
I’ve been seeing these for sale a lot recently at places like Trader Joes, farmers markets, and a few grocery stores. When I did a little research about them I found out why: San Diego County (where we are located) is where most of them are grown, due to the mild desert climate. Cut branches, adorned with the bright orange faux pumpkins, are becoming popular in fall flower arrangements, so you might be able to find them at a florist if you are not in southern California.
Like the Latin name suggests, the Pumpkin Tree is a member of the solanum family, which includes the likes of potatoes and eggplants. As you might infer, this means the little pumpkin shaped fruits are quite different inside than their namesake. Inside it resembles a pepper, with loose seeds and a mild peppery taste. However, westerners tend not to like the flavor and prefer to use it ornamentally. In Asian cooking, the tiny “pumpkin” peppers are more popular.
I tried to find an online retailer of the Pumpkin Tree, but came up empty handed. Seeds are available, but no mature plants or cuttings. If you know where to buy Pumpkin Trees online, please let us know in the comments!
*Other names this plant is known by are Chinese scarlet eggplant, Japanese golden eggs, ruffled tomato and tomato eggplant
Robots have been around in one way or another even before 50’s sci-fi movies made them popular. Since then robots have been evil villains in movies, lovable characters in TV shows, and even wise cracking comic relief in cartoons. The timeless robot costume is always a good choice whether you spend a day before Halloween spray painting cardboard boxes, or 5 months creating a giant handmade costume. We’ve gathered some awesome robot costume ideas to get your creative circuits flowing.
Make blogged about a giant robot costume that took 5 months to build and cost over $900 in parts and research. It looks pretty awesome at a towering 9’2″ tall (costumer wears stilts) and even has some good detail with a little bug that seems to control the robot.
Over at Instructables you can view how to make another giant robot costume, but this one is made of recycled materials. He built this one out of laundry detergent bottles, crutches, football shoulder pads, and lots of hot glue. This style is our favorite because it really lets you flex your creativity to come up with your own ideas. You can recycle, paint, or glue on anything that feels robot-y to you.
If you are more of a square and boxy type robot fan, then cardboard boxes are a good and inexpensive choice for a robot costume. I found a page where a group of college kids show us how they made their robot costumes.
You can get some more great ideas for cardboard built robots from flickr. 
This one uses the standard boxes, duct tape, foil, and throws in some fake gauges and warning symbols for an overall robotic effect. This one added used CDs for eyes and added eyebrows to get a more evil robot look. This one used reflectors for eyes, and what appears to be an off the shelf tap light and lots ‘o’ foil. A good amount of DIY robot costumes have some type of dryer vent tubing or similar material for arms. These are a simple and easy choice because they are inexpensive, easy to find (local home improvement store), and already a shiny metal looking color. Another good and easy accessory is tubes or wires going from one spot on your costume to another. You could even try integrating some old circuit boards from broken electronics onto your box to go for the exposed innards look.
Here is a list of what’s most common for building your very own inexpensive robot costume:
- Cardboard Box
- Silver Paint
- Foil
- Shiny Objects (CDs, reflectors, LEDs, etc.)
- Gauges and Meters
- Dryer Vent Hose
- Some type of Claws (for robot hands)
A lot of the items listed above can be found in your own neighborhood on trash day. Or if you are in a populous city you can check out the free section on your local Craigslist for some costume materials.
Of course we encourage you to get creative and try different colors, shapes, and sizes. Feel free to paint your face silver instead of putting a box over your head all night, or wearing gloves so you can carry around your drink at the Halloween party. Make it your own, with your own style and remember to think about what you’ll be doing while you are in the costume.
And don’t forget to brush up on your robot dancing skills.
Did you make a robot costume? Did you find useful pictures or tutorials online? Please contribute your findings in the comment section below.
