October Photography

Hello Seekers!

*awkwardly avoids eye contact with screen*

Let's let bygons be bygons shall we and move on with our lives? I have failed in my first blog event on Awel Hollow. Perhaps trying to tackle 31 Days of Halloween was a little more difficult than I thought.

What can I say? Hind sight is 20/20. Time to build a bridge and get over this guilt of being a failure, yes? Yes!

 October 2013 has vanished as quickly as it had materialized a month ago. Halloween is a thing of the past. November has come and with it a new set of challenges and rewards.

NaNoWriMo anyone?

But before we move on for good I'd like to share some photos from October and finish the month off with a weak hoorah! 

Favorite Halloween Movies and Music

Day 14

 

Hello Seekers!

 

So let's talk favorites. Growing up I remember trying to start a family tradition that never really caught on. It all started one year when we were carving pumpkins. As we were performing mass murder at the kitchen table, my mom popped a CD into the CD player to set the mood. Before I knew it we were ripping out pumpkin guts to the tune of Monster Mash and One Eyed One Horned Flying Purple People Eater. Good times.

 

After that I tried to make sure that we listened to it every year but like I said before it didn't really become a tradition. If I have my way, my kids will get to enjoy these tunes as I teach them the ancient art of dissecting pumpkins. *evil laugh* *que lightning flash*

 

As far as Halloween music goes I also like Love Potion #9 and Werewolves of London.

 

Onto the movies.

 

My favorite Halloween flick of all time and possibly forever is Hocus Pocus! I was too little to understand half of the stuff in this movie but now that I'm older I absolutely love it! Every single character in this flick is hilarious. The three witches looking for revenge, the 'too cool for school" older brother, the "annoying" little sister, the girl of said brothers dreams, the two neighborhood hooligans, and the clueless parents. But there are two characters left unmentioned one being talking cat and the other being a living spell book. Both of them steal the show.

 

 

Other Halloween Fav's include Nightmare Before Christmas, Addams Family *snapsnap*, Casper, Casper meets Wendy, and Halloweentown 1&2. I recently came across GhostBusters  - which I haven't seen. I know! stop screaming! its on my ta-do list along with the 5 missing posts and the rest of the Halloween themed additions. Once I've seen it i'll let you know.

 

For someone who looks forward to Halloween at the beginning of August every year, I hate scary things. I scare so easily. This is one of the reasons who don't see any "mature" Halloween choices among these lists. I'm trying to ease my way into the scary realm of Halloween but i'm not diving in all at once.

 

I want to know you're Halloween favorites. Have any suggestions for me?

 

Self-proclaimed scaredy-cat

-Awel

Youtuber Costume

Day 13

Hey Seekers, told you i'd be back. Just trying to catch up on the last few days I've missed. Again, i'm sorry about that. But i'm back now and that is what matters. So I combing through the 'massive' (more like three) ideas I had left in my idea book and I came across an interesting idea. A costume for mostly Halloween/costume parties in general. I don't think that it will work real well at night. Anyway here is my brilliant costume idea:

A Youtuber.

Ah, the life of an Internet sensation. Vlogging from sun up till sun up, sending tweets to yo peeps, and using hashtags in every day conversations is #Cray! Being a youtuber seems like so much fun that you don't mind the long hours, the hate mail, and the awkward public chatting to your camera.

Want the experience without the commitment? Pretending to be a youtuber for the day is super simple

What to wear:

"Trendy" clothes. You want to look stylish enough that you don't blend in with the non interweb peeps but normal enough that you don't look like a high end celebrity. Its only internet fame after all.

What to say:

This depends on your niche. Would you swear in ice cream flavors? Does OMG stand for Oh My Gloss? Maybe your dialogue is pieced together by random phrases and hashtags. Whatever, just say something!

Props:

Camera
Your Smile
Great attitude


You're going to get a lot of strange looks and couple of loudly whispered disaproval. You might even be offered a ride to the loony bin. The point is to just have fun - be safe, but have fun..

Now go out there and vlog! You can edit the haters out latter ;)
-Awel

Update and Apology

Hey seekers

So you might have noticed that I've missed a few days of 31 days of Halloween. I apologize for that. I'm recovering from a terrible allergy attack and also a move.

But don't fret! There will still be 31 posts for Halloween! This was an unplanned "trick" in the line up. I have some things planned and I intend to get caught up. There are plenty of treats to come.

Trick or Treat?
- Awel

Cat (Casper) Costume

 

 

Day Twelve

 

 

Hello Seekers,

Can I Keep You?

 

 

 

A whisper so intimate it makes me blush.

 

Casper (1995) is one of my favorite childhood movies. I love the sets and the plot. Its out of this world and the world beyond ;)

 

Cat and her dad move into a haunted manor. She meets a friendly ghost named Casper who gets her into a few situations. One of these is getting her to host the school's Halloween bash at the manor. Needing a costume, Casper lends her his mother's wedding dress.

 

 BASICS:

Lacey white dress (think 80s wedding dress)
black boots
 

 

 

 

A few bucks and trip to a thrift store will more than likely put these items into your path.

 

-Awel

 

 

Questions? Comments? Requests? I'd love to here from you. 



Taz (Starship) Costume

Day Eleven

Hey Seekers!

A couple of days ago I wrote about Bug from Team Starkid's Starship. I thought I should break down another beloved character's costume for anyone who didn't want to be Bug.

 I'd like you to meet Taz. She's a short tempered soldier who will kill first and ask questions latter. She's survived the robot war so I wouldn't mess with her, she's fearless.

BASICS:

Red bandanna
dog tags
white tank
black arm band
black gloves
camo pants
black belt
black boots





TIPS

Taz is great with weapons. So stalk up on rubber knives and get ready for battle!


Get Back Up, soldiers!
-Awel

Are there any other Starship or Starkid costumes you'd like me to break down? Leave a request below.

Audrey Rocio Ramirez (Atlantis) Costume

Day Ten

Hello Seekers!

By now you've probably guessed that I grew up watching a lot of Disney. Guilty as charged. The bookshelves were lined, top to bottom, with Disney VHS. I used to watch one every night before I went to bed.

In 2001 Disney released a film that stood out from all of its previous work. Atlantis the Lost empire was different in almost every way. First, it was centered around a guy. Most  but not all Disney stories center around a girl. Second, the animation was clearly different. Disney has a thing for circles and round edges. Atlantis was very angular. Third, it was an adventure. Fourth, the secondary characters were just as good as the main ones.

One of my favorite characters is Audrey Ramirez - the mechanic. I think the fact that she was a "teenager mechanic on a multi-million dollar expedition" won me over.

BASICS:

white shirt, blue hat, overalls, black boots, black gloves.


"Ah-ha, two for flinching!"
-Awel

Naughties Costume

Day 9

Hello Seeker.

Yesterday I shared a shopping list for thriftable Smurf costumes. Well the Smurfs have cousins and thought that they needed a post of their own. The Naughties are just that, naughty, and boy do they have a wild side.  I'm probably not the only one who fell in love with Vexy and Hackas.

Girl Naughty -

grey hat,
streaked hair (optional)
stripped tank
Long sleeve grey shirt
navy circle skirt
black leggings
black shoes



Boy Naughty -

tan stripped hat
grey long sleeve shirt
tan stripped pants
tan stripped shoes



TIP

If you don't quite like the way that Vexy and Hackus dress that's totally okay. Being a Naughty means that you are a wild child. You can be a rocker naughty, a punk naughty, goth naughty, or whatever you want. Just remember that Naughties are grey and Smurfs are blue. Oh! and Naughties don't sing.


Until tomorrow,
-Awel

Smurfs Costume

Day Eight

Hey Seekers!

So its come to my attention that I don't have any followers or readers so far. If you happen to stumble upon my blog please tell me by commenting down below. Seriously. It would mean the world to me.

On with the post!


Smurfs. Yes, Smurfs. These little blue creatures are nearly if not more popular than the Minions I wrote about a few days ago. They sing, they dance, and they are hunted by the evil Gargamel. *que flashes of light and dramatic music* These guys and girl lived it up on the silver screen this year in the The Smurfs 2. What with their repetitive tunes, mushroom huts, and portal jumping tendencies you're sure to fall in love.

Papa Smurf (Red One) BASICS:

Red Hat
White Beard
Blue Long Sleeve Shirt
Red Pants
Red Shoes

Boy Smurf BASICS:

White Hat
Blue Long Sleeve Shirt
White Pants
White Shirt

Girl Smurf BASICS:

White Hat
Blue Long Sleeve Shirt
White Dress
Blue Leggings
White Shoes

TIP

The white hats can be made by taking a plain white tshirt, tracing out a triangle /\ with a rounded top, cutting out the shape (both sides of shirt to make two cutouts), and using fabric glue to attatch the two pieces together. You can stuff the tip of the hat and stitch it to the top of the crown.

Have fun storming NYC Smurfs. Smurf-out!
-Awel

Nod (Epic) Costume

Day Seven

Welcome back Seekers!

We're diving into the world of Epic once again. I'd like you to meet Nod. He's voiced my Josh Hutcherson and if that wasn't enough to make you swoon, this rough and tumble rebel child is a member of the Leaf Men. Watch the movie if that last sentence didn't make sense.


BASICS:

dirty white shirt
forest green pants
leaf shin pads
black shoes



The leaf chin pads can be made out of poster paper, glue, and Velcro or fabric glue. If you want a post about how to make them leave a comment below and I will add it to the line up.

-Awel

MK (EPIC) Costume

Day Six

Hello Seekers!

Today we're discussing Disney's Epic. I took my little brother to watch this in theaters. He had a blast! A movie where someone gets shrunken down and discovers the world of mini people? I've seen the plot before but I have to say this movie was pretty decent. I'm sure that there are a few people out there who might want to become these characters for Halloween.

We're focusing on MK today. She's the girl, standing in the middle of the picture below. She's our eyes and ears as we travel through the world of EPIC. That flower bulb that she's holding? It's a mega part of the Epic plot. No spoilers here people but i'm working on a tutorial just incase you want to carry it around just like MK.

BASICS:

pink hoodie
white shirt
navy mini
black capri leggings
black boots




TIPS:

The miniature world is new to this character. You have two options 1) act like you know you know how everything works because lets face it, you're used to the big world; or 2) freak out over everything: rocks, plants, bugs - as if you've never seen it that way before.


If you're brave enough to take on the world of Epic, you might want to take a flashlight. It gets dark out there on Halloween.
-Awel

Ron Stoppable Costume

Day Five

Boo-ya Seekers!

Great things seem to come in pairs, don't they? Ron Stoppable is K.P.'s best friend and loyal sidekick. Though he may not have the crazy monkey ninja skills (not yet, anyway) required for crime fighting, he's a great villain distraction. Plus if you're into 'guy gets out of the friend-zone in the end' type of stories, Ron will be your favorite character.



BASICS:

black shirt
khaki belt
grey pants
black shoes
black gloves
green backpack (optional)

TIPS:

If you've ever seen the show you know that this mighty warrior has a sidekick of his own - Rufus, the naked mole rat. No crime fighting team is complete without an animal compadre! Tutorial coming soon for a loveable naked mole rat of your very own!



See you at bueno nacho!
-Awel

Kim Possible Costume

Day Four

 Hello Seekers!

 

So what's the sitch?

 

 

Kim Possible (2002 - 2007)  was the bomb dot com! I can't be the only one who remembers this show. High school cheerleader by day international crime fighter by night. Her parents were rocket scientists and nero-surgeons. She had twin brothers that were a chaotic version of Phineas and Ferb. Her best friend was a loner with a naked mole rat for a pet! Her foes are as eccentric and ridiculous as they come and still she managed to get good grades and be cheer captain. I think a slow clap is in order for KP.

clap...clap....clap....clapclap...clapclapclapclapclap....

 

 

 

BASICS:

 

A black shirt,

black gloves,

green pants,

brown belt,

and black shoes.

 

 

TIPS:

It's her accessories that put her over the top. Lazar lipstick? Check. Exploding Compact? Check.  Hair Dryer Grappling Hook? .... looks like Wade forgot to send that this time.

Basically anything that looks like it could be converted to an awesome kick-butt spy gadget, stick it your pockets.


Call  me, beep me if you want to reach me
-Awel

 

 



Bug (Starship) Costume

Day Three

Hello Seekers!

 

I have a confession to make. I am faced with the choice of commitment or originality. But because I am a great older sister I will choose commitment and become Skylanders Hex for Halloween. If I hadn't already made that commitment to my ten year old brother I'd want to go as today's thrifty costume.

 

Next year I wanna be a Starkid Starship Ranger!

In 2011 Team Starkid (makers of A Very Potter Musical, Sequel, and Senior Year) created their fourth Starkid Production, Starship. Jokingly referred to as 'The Little Mermaid meets Aliens", this musical lived up to Starkid's comical / heart warming / gut wrenching level of fantastic that hundreds of fans have come to love. Simply put, this musical is totally awesome.

Check out their website: www.teamstarkid.com
or stalk them on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TeamStarKid

I'm trying not to give out any spoilers but if you haven't watched the play this post is about to ruin Act 1 for you.

Bug's vintage Ranger uniform is fantastic. Good news Rangers, you don't need to travel the galaxy to find this costume. Just locate you're local thrift store and let the adventure begin.

BASICS:

blue head band
olive green shirt
silver pants
silver gloves
camo pants
white high tops

TIPS:

Bug always messes up the most common phrases. Go ahead and mix things up, you'll be in character.

Also,  spontaneous singing and dancing in a manly/buggy fashion is not only allowed but is highly encouraged.


With this space suit you'll be saying no to the Status Quo and Kicking it Up a Notch before you can set your zappers to pew.
-Awel


P.S. for the record I volunteer as tribute if the opportunity of becoming a Starkid is ever given.

Minion Costume

Day Two

Hello Seekers!

You might be wondering why I've gathered you all here today. It's a long story with twists, turns, and fart-guns galore. But it can all be wrapped up in one word.

Minions.

These cute little guys speak for themselves - even if it is complicated gibberish. With Despicable Me 2 having been released a few months ago, Minion love has risen to all time high. Everyone loves a minion.

BASICS:

Yellow shirt
overalls
black gloves
black boots
goggles

TIPS:

Carry around props such as tools or wax fruit

(I might have a tutorial for no sew gloves coming out soon so stay tuned for that)

Phew! We've overcome the first obstacle (day one) and now the battle for 31 days continues. i have a feeling that i may need to find my own minions. Any volunteers?

-Awel

Lizzie Mcguire Costume

Day One

Hello Seekers!

Anyone out there remember a girl by the name of Lizzie Mcguire ? She was just your ordinary teenager trying to get through life without to much drama. Unfortunately when you're a teenage girl, drama isn't so easy to avoid. What with puberty, friends, sworn enemies, little brothers, and cute boys you will no doubt find yourself in some awkward situations. This show was the bomb and my first costume breakdown is dedicated to it.

 

While the show was live action, Lizzie had her very own cartoon that was the comic relief of the plot. Cartoon Lizzie was hysterical. Changing costumes, using oversized props, and tripping are some of her specialities. Her normal outfit is pretty simple and would be easy to find in your closet or the local thrift store.

BASICS:

blonde wig,

red /pink lipstick, 
pink tank,
blue pants,
orange sandals

TIPS:

You can carry around large props (lipstick tube, red kickball, giant string of pearls) to add a lil something to this costume.

Even though this character was always stumbling, tripping, and falling these actions arent required to pull of this look.

Thats it for Day One of 31 Days of Halloween. Check in tomorrow for another thriftable costume.

-Awel

Welcome to the Hollow

Hello Seekers,

This is it. October is finally upon us and this blog is finally live. Hooray! We're kicking things off with 31 days of Halloween. Yes, a full month of tricks or treats... mostly "treats" I pinky promise.

As this is the first time that I'm getting to talk to you perhaps I should introduce myself. You can call me Awel, this is my hollow after all, and I make the rules. The Hollow is my own little space where I can do what I please... kidding - kind of. I like creating, cooking, and writing so that's mostly what you'll find here. I hope you enjoy what you find.

Like I said, it's October. There are some spook-tacular things coming up including costumes, make up, food, and DIY.

Before I begin I have to share something with you. I love Halloween. I'm sure there is something mentally wrong with me but i love the fact that this is the one day of the year (excluding ComicCon) that it's 'acceptable' to run around pretending to be someone/something else and hoard impossible amounts of sugar. Now that I'm older its not so much about the candy [GASP!] but rather about the costumes and decorations.

Costumes are just awesome and i love to play 'dress up'. I challenged myself to come up with some easy thriftable costumes. I'm not going to be modeling real life versions of these costumes, i dont have the money or the time. These 13 costumes are pretty simple though so you should have no trouble finding the parts for them.

Lets get started shall we? -Awel