Archive for the ‘baby Halloween costumes’ Category
Thursday, September 15th, 2011
There is an undeniable bond between human and animal. We have roamed the earth for thousands of ears and we have tamed some of the wildest beasts.
Check out this article on animal/human relationships:
he human–animal bond can be defined as a connection between people and animals, domestic or wild; be it a cat as a pet or birds outside one’s window. Research into the nature and merit of the human–animal bond began in the late 18th century when, in York, England, the Society of Friends established The Retreat to provide humane treatment for the mentally ill. By having patients care for the many farm animals on the estate, society officials theorized that the combination of animal contact plus productive work would facilitate the patients’ rehabilitation. In the 1870s in Paris, a French surgeon had patients with neurological disorders ride horses. The patients were found to have improved their motor control and balance and were less likely to suffer bouts of depression.[14]
In the 19th century, in Bielefeld, Germany, epileptic patients were given the prescription to spend time each day taking care of cats and dogs. The contact with the animals was found to reduce the occurrence of seizures. In 1980, a team of scientists at the University of Pennsylvania found that human to animal contact was found to reduce the physiological characteristics of stress; specifically, lowered levels of blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, anxiety, and tension were all found to correlate positively with human–pet bonding.[14]
Historically, animals were domesticated for functional use; for example, dogs for herding and tracking, and cats for killing mice or rats. Today, in Western societies, their function is primarily bonding. For example, current studies show that 60–80% of dogs sleep with their owners at night in the bedroom, either in or on the bed.[15] Moreover, in the past the majority of cats were kept outside (barn cats) whereas today most cats are kept indoors (housecats) and considered part of the family. Currently, in the US, for example, 1.2 billion animals are kept as pets, primarily for bonding purposes.[15] In addition, as of 1995 there were over 30 research institutions looking into the potential benefits of the human–animal bond.
I was thinking as for halloween costumes it would be fun to dress up like an animal check out this costume!!
Monday, September 5th, 2011
Halloween is just around the corner! I love the Halloween season, I also love candy!! One of my favorite candies is probably candy corn. Candy corn is such a delicious piece of tastyness. Here is a little recipe I am thinking of trying out – Homemade Candy Corn!
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces miniature marshmallows (4 cups not packed, or half of a 16-ounce bag)
- 1 pound powdered sugar (4 cups), plus extra for dusting
- 2 tbsp water
- Yellow and orange (or red) food coloring
Preparation:
1. Dust your counter or a large cutting board with powdered sugar. Place the marshmallows and the water in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute, until the marshmallows are puffy and expanded.
2. Stir the marshmallows with a rubber spatula until they are melted and smooth. If some marshmallow pieces remain, return to the microwave for 30-45 seconds, until the marshmallow mixture is entirely smooth and free of lumps.
3. Add the powdered sugar and begin to stir with the spatula. Stir until the sugar begins to incorporate and it becomes impossible to stir anymore.
4. Scrape the marshmallow-sugar mixture out onto the prepared work surface. It will be sticky and lumpy, with lots of sugar that has not been incorporated yet–this is normal. Dust your hands with powdered sugar, and begin to knead the fondant mixture like bread dough, working the sugar into the marshmallow with your hands.
5. Continue to knead the fondant until it smoothes out and loses its stickiness. Add more sugar if necessary, but stop adding sugar once it is smooth–too much sugar will make it stiff and difficult to work with. Once the fondant is a smooth ball, divide it evenly into three balls. Set one ball aside, this will be the white portion of your candy corn.
6. Take one of the remaining fondant balls and flatten it into a round disc. You might want to wear gloves to avoid getting food coloring on your hands during this step. Add 4-5 drops of yellow food coloring to the center of the disc, and fold the disc over on itself so that the color is enclosed in the center of the fondant ball.
7. Begin to knead the ball of fondant just like you did before. As you work it, you will begin to see streaks of color coming through from the center. Continue to knead until the streaks are gone and the fondant is a uniform yellow color. Repeat the process with the third small ball, adding orange coloring (or a combination of red and yellow to produce orange) so that you end up with three smooth fondant balls, in white, yellow, and orange.
8. Now it is time to roll out the candy corn. If you have a very long countertop or workstation you can do it all at once, but if you are pressed for space you might find it easier to divide your fondant balls in half and assemble the candy corn in two batches.
9. On your powdered sugar-coated workstation, begin to roll the yellow fondant ball into a long worm shape, using your palms to roll it into a very long, thin cylinder. The exact size will depend on your preference for the size of your candy corn, but I recommend keeping it around 1/4 to 1/3 of an inch thick. Try to keep it the same size along the length of the fondant strip, but some minor variation is fine. Once the yellow worm is rolled out, repeat the process with the orange and the white strips, placing them next to each other when completed. When you finish you should have three long cylinders of yellow, orange, and white fondant, each approximately the same length and width.
10. If your fondant is slightly sticky, you should be able to press the strips together to create one unified fondant strip with three colors. If they are well-dusted with powdered sugar, they might not stick. If this is the case, you can wet a pastry brush and lightly run it along the sides of the strips, and the water will cause them to fuse together.
11. Once your strips are firmly pressed together, you should be able to start cutting. Cutting them in their present state produces a rounded candy corn. If you prefer a flat candy corn, you can very gently run a rolling pin along the top of the tri-colored fondant strip, to flatten the tops and press them closer together. Use a large, sharp knife to cut triangles out of the fondant strip. Unlike store-bought candy corn, these kernels will have alternating white and yellow tips.
12. Store homemade candy corn in an airtight container at room temperature for several weeks. This recipe will get sticky if exposed to too much moisture, so try it is best made and stored in a place with low humidity.
Speaking of candy corn here is a really great costume to go with your homemade candy corn! Candy Corn Witch!
Wednesday, August 24th, 2011
SQUAWK! Angry Birds has blown up in the last 2 years since it’s creation in to giant popularity. For those of you unfamiliar with this pop culture phenomenon here’s a breakdown quoted fromwikipedia: “Angry Birds is a puzzle video game developed by Rovio Mobile. Inspired primarily by a sketch of stylized wingless birds, the game was first released for Apple’s iOS in December 2009.[2] Since that time, over 12 million copies of the game have been purchased from Apple’s App Store,[3] which has prompted the company to design versions for other touchscreen-based smartphones, such as those using the Android operating system, among others.
In the game, players use a slingshot to launch birds at pigs stationed on or within various structures, with the intent of destroying all the pigs on the playfield. As players advance through the game, new birds appear, some with special abilities that can be activated by the player. Rovio Mobile has supported Angry Birds with numerous free updates that add additional game content, and the company has even released stand-alone holiday and promotional versions of the game.
Angry Birds has been praised for its successful combination of addictive gameplay, comical style, and low price. Its popularity led to versions of Angry Birds being created for personal computers and gaming consoles, a market for merchandise featuring its characters and even long-term plans for a feature film or television series. With a combined 300 million downloads across all platforms and including both regular and special editions,[4] the game has been called “one of the most mainstream games out right now”,[5] “one of the great runaway hits of 2010″,[6] and “the largest mobile app success the world has seen so far”.[7]”
So finally someone was clever enough to createAngry Birds Costumes. I think theseHalloween costumesare a great idea for someone who doesn’t want to put too much effort in but wants to participate in the festivities.
Posted in DIY, Era, Humorous, Persons, Places, adult Halloween costumes, baby Halloween costumes, creatures, halloween costumes, informational, kids Halloween costumes, teen halloween costumes | Comments Off
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