Halloween is usually a time of vampires, devils, ghouls, and other horrors. With the neo-cons in power, though, monsters don't seem so scary anymore. But here are some decorations you can make at home to celebrate Halloween and Fitzmas.
Voodoo dolls. They're easy to make and you can use them to express your political philosophy. Voodoo dolls don't have to be works of art, but it helps if the doll looks like the person you want to ...
honor. Google voodoo dolls and you'll see what I mean. Heck, I'm an old guy with no artistic talent and I figured it out.
Start by finding appropriate materials. If you have a partner, child, or roommate who is into crafts, ask to borrow some stuff. Otherwise, you'll need a needle and thread, scissors, fabric, stuffing, and pins. I have a very artsy daughter so I got my stuff from her. For fabric, you can cut up an old t-shirt or underwear. No sense washing it first; odor adds ambiance. My fabric was clean so I added some herbs (mint, eucalyptus, tansy) to the stuffing. Stuffing can be leftover fabric, straw, crumpled paper, or anything big enough so it doesn't fall out of the seams. I used this fiber stuff my daughter had. For pins, I used turkey skewers decorated with yarn and feathers.
To make a voodoo doll, first draw an outline of a human figure on paper. Don't make it too big if you plan to make several dolls or you'll be doing a lot of sewing. If you know how to use a sewing machine, I'm jealous. Trace your pattern on the fabric twice (once for each side). It helps to fold each side in half heightwise to check for symmetry. Also, lay the two sides together to be sure the sides have the same outline. You can modify the figure to match your ... honoree by making it skinny or fat, tall or short, or whatever. Sew the two pieces together, stuffing completed appendages as you go. I found it works best to start at an armpit and work around. That way you can stuff the arms, legs, and head as you sew around the figure.
Once you have your doll finished, go online and find images of your ... honoree looking straight forward. Crop the picture so it's just the face and print it out so it fits on the doll face. I just used duct tape on the back of the picture to attach it to the doll. That way I can reuse the dolls from year to year. This year, I made dolls for Bush, Cheney, Rove, Rumsfeld, Norquist, Limbaugh, and Ashcroft.
I hung my dolls in a doorway by a noose from the neck. Then I stuck the decorated pins in appropriate places (e.g., Cheney's heart, Rove's brain, Limbaugh's voice box). The dolls are great conversation pieces, especially if you want to piss off your conservative friends. You can also play pin the crime on the politician.
Happy Halloween.