Rob:
I created a scary Halloween candy bucket that turned out to be totally NOT scary. Check it out on my blog: http://without-warning.blogspot.com

Hey, Just wanted to show off... here are more pics/info http://rhymeswithzavi.blogspot.com/

I, Rob last year I was spinach this year a little different not much to it though a box, spray paint, gray hair spray and cheap suit and a motorized hand sticking out the bottom but couldnt get anyone to get a good photo. and some rivets because who doesn't like to rivet stuff and my girlfriend as the airport cop Idaho senator larry craig and cop.

Great site.

Damian.

My Giant Spider Halloween Costume

Hi Rob.
I just wanted to share my crazy costume that I did this year. I'm always creeped out by black widow spiders, so I decided to do some "exposure therapy" and make a giant black spider costume. This one uses my usual technologies: paper mache, avian wire, acrylic craft paint, and lots of tape. Some new tech include wooden dowels, zip ties, and these really cool foam pipe insulation tubes. My engineering could be better...but I am an artist at heart. The body was constructed out of coat hangers and chicken wire. It was a bit floppy as it could have used more mache I think (I can never apply enough of it).

This evil thing uses view ports which came in handy when navigating the halls at work. The legs were attached to two dowels and each flopped around individually. I used my hands to move them up and down as I walked around.

I hope you had a great Halloween.

-Nils Nordstrand

Hi Rob,
As you know, I'm equally enthusiastic about costumes...although on a much smaller scale. :-) This year I was studying Hawthorne for my Ph.D. qualifying exams, so I decided to go as Hester Prynne, the heroine of The Scarlet Letter. There are cheeseball flammable Pilgrim / Puritan costumes out there, but I wanted something a little more authentic and less off-the-rack.
I started with this handmade dress I found on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=260165052781&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=016.

I already had a black wig (why I have a supply of random wigs is beyond me) and black vinyl boots. I found elastic-banded pirate / witch / Puritan shoe buckles for $7 http://www.buypiratecostumes.com/accessories_shoe_buckles.html. My landlady lent me a baby to carry. But the thing I really needed to make my costume stand out was a glowing scarlet letter. In the novel, there are many descriptions about the supernatural aspect of the letter and how it burns. I wanted something that would stand out - more than just glittery or glow lights. So I purchased a strand of battery-powered LED lights. 20 lights, $6. Can't beat that! http://www.save-on-crafts.com/ledbattery.html

I have now decided that whatever I'm going to be next year, it has to include lots and lots of LED lights. They were a hit! They were also what distinguished me from an ocean of hoochie-mamas at the club we went to (you know, Sexy Nurse, Sexy Snow White, Sexy Land Surveyor...)

I searched online for different types of A's, ignoring the awful Demi Moore Hester, and settled on an "old" style A that was thick enough for me to hide wires behind it. I freehanded the A onto red velvet, then sewed the A to the dress.

Next, I used a seam-ripper (after a glue gun, the handiest Halloween tool ever) to make small incisions in the dress and the A. Then I inserted an LED so that only the edge showed, then sewed it into place. I looped the extra wire in a squashed-Slinky pattern all the way around the A as I put in more LEDs. It was a lot bulkier than I'd thought it would be, but it looked great.

Next, I used duct tape to flatten the wires and create a smoother surface for the inside of my dress - wires against skin just aren't fun. I threaded the end of the wires down to the pocket of the dress, cut a hole in the pocket, then inserted the battery pack so I could turn the lights on and off and change batteries if needed.

By the way, this was my first Halloween costume with pockets AND a baby that I could use as a purse. It was great!

There was a red aura around me no matter where on the dance floor I was...it was a taste of what it must be like to be Rudolph.I had a lot of fun with the costume and could tell immediately who in the room had read what they were supposed to in high school.

Here are a few pics. My costume was already finished when I reached San Francisco, so I helped my friends finish their costumes.

Happy Halloween!

Tara Prescott

Hey Rob!

Even if Halloween is over, I thought I would still send you a pic of one of my costumes this year. I had two different parties, so I had two costumes that I wore. This is the furby I made last year.

I'll send photos of my stay puff marshmallow man costume later from my other computer.

Anyways Im always interested into what you will build next. Nice costume Hope you win! I won 1st place this year for my stay puff man!

Hey Rob,

I've been a long-time reader, and, in part, thanks to your amazing creations, I realised the magic of PVC piping!

At work, out department decided to do 80s Trivial Pursuit as our theme. I decided to be Elliot from ET.

And the iconic image is the hooded youngster with ET in his bike basket. The back and front of the bike is done out of PVC pipes and silver paint, while ol' ET himself is actually just a carved Styrofoam face glued onto a paper cone.

I sure hope I can out-pedal the feds!

Keep up great work for science!

Danny Lin, Canada

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