Halloween Contest

Tomorrow is the big day but since Halloween is on a Monday this year many of us celebrated early in order to get our partying in during the weekend. Chris and I (Laura) had a party at our house on Saturday with some of Chris's coworkers. Living out in the country we don't get any trick or treaters, so Halloween parties are our only excuse to dress up. I was an 18th century zombie and Chris went as Ron Swanson from Parks and Recreation.

If you celebrated already I hope you remembered to take photos. If not, don't forget your camera when you dress up tomorrow! We've already received several great submissions which we have posted on Flickr. Remember, send your submissions to laura@theuniquesheep.com

BOO!

I love Halloween, and not just because of all the sweet treats. I love the costumes. If I could, I would wear costumes throughout the year but since that would likely end with padded walls I have to wait till that one night a year when costumes are celebrated. I'll be going as a 18th Century Zombie. I found this great dress at a local theatre's sale, it was rather worn with some of the lace coming off and a ripped seam or two so I got it for a steal. Then I added a bit more grim by splashing it with black tea and dragging the hem in some dirt. The look is finished off with zombie makeup. I just have to decide if I want to wear a poufy white wig or if I'll be able to tease my hair into something resembling a Marie Antoinette style do. I'll make sure to take some photos at Saturday's Halloween Party so you can see how it turns out.

Aside from the fun of dressing up yourself, there is also the fun of seeing all of your friends dressed up for the holiday. We'd like to see YOUR costumes and to motivate you we are offering up a prize or two. Keep reading for contest rules and details.

Contest Rules

1. Submit a photo of you, your spouse, child or pet dressed up for Halloween by emailing the photo to laura@theuniquesheep.com no later than November 3rd.

2. Photo does not have to be from this year.

3. By sending us your photo you give us permission to post them on Flickr and on this blog.

4. You can send multiple photos if you want to, but you'll only get one entry per person.

5. Winners will be selected by random drawing from all entries on November 4th.

PRIZES

We will be giving away skeins of our special HALLOWEEN themed colorways. The exact colors, yarns and number of prizes awarded will be a surprise.

Holiday Gifts

Now that it is October its time to get serious about our holiday gift making and shopping. I hate to leave it to the last minute because I don't like battling the crowds downtown or at the shopping mall once we get into December. Like most of your I'll be making a few of my gifts this year. My little brother has requested his annual knit hat. He always asks for the same pattern, which I designed for him, but picks out different colors each year. This year he has asked for green and yellow to support our cousin Ryan who joined the Packers this fall.

Of course some of my friends and family knit for themselves so they will be receiving yarn as gifts, rather than finished items. That way they can enjoy the process and the finished result. Since part of the fun is picking out your own yarn and colors, I'll be wrapping up Unique Sheep gift certificates in pretty envelopes to put under the tree.

Not all of my gifts will be yarn related, of course. I've also been searching Etsy for gift. This really unique handmade mug looks perfect for one of my slightly-eccentric caffeine addicted friends!

For neighbors, the ladies in my knitting group and my square dancing club I think I'll do some baking. Which of course means that I need to "practice" some of my recipes now to make sure they taste ok! I think this week I'll do shortbread cookies and use some cute fall cookie cutters to make them festive.

I love gift giving. The challenge of finding the perfect gift - or making it- and then the reward of seeing the recipient open and enjoy the gift. But anytime I'm going to be spending money, even if its on other people, I try to be responsible in my spending habits. So I choose to spend my money at small businesses and on artisan produced goods. My baking ingredients will come from a local co-op grocer, my gifts will be found on etsy or at independent artisans' websites.

What gift making and giving do you have planned for this year?