The Goblin Market posted the photo at left (unattributed, of course) to Facebook the other day and I thought, “Gee, what a unique idea; should be easy to find the artist.” So I started googling and it quickly became clear that elf ear cuffs are definitely a thing and I am just really late to the party.

They’re all over Etsy, in a vast array of styles, from shops including Belethil, MadeByKozee, EluneAraBijoux, ElfinWorks, KunoichiCreations, AltPercept, SalmonNaturals, KimberlyNichole, and ensorceller. (A few more interesting one-off designs from other shops are here, here, here, and here.) The ears from the original photo were apparently made by Starlit Skies.

There’s a tutorial for making your own available for purchase but, unsurprisingly, there are plenty of free instructions as well; there are three here, here, and here, but googling “how to make wire ear cuffs” will turn up plenty more.

Obviously, you needn’t restrict yourself to elf ears; you could bend the wire into bat wings or some other interesting shape. The basic idea doesn’t look terribly difficult, and you can add detail as desired. The results are certainly striking.

Flavorwire has a roundup of classic silent horror movies that are available online for free. Many of these were seminal influences for later works of horror, including the dreamlike The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and the not-even-slightly-sparkly Nosferatu:

These would be great to play in the background at a Halloween party, particularly one with a vintage or movie theme.

(No prizes, but if you can answer them all without googling you get bragging rights.)

1. The caretaker of Hogwarts, Argus Filch, takes his name from the 100-eyed giant in Greek mythology who was charged by Hera to guard whom?
   A) Europa
   B) Ganymede
   C) Callisto
   D) Io
   E) Amalthea
2. The greatest goal of alchemy was to synthesize a substance called the Philosopher’s Stone, sometimes said to be an elixir of life but most commonly believed to have what ability?
3. The soap opera Dark Shadows took place in the fictional town of Collinsport in what U.S. state?
   A) Massachusetts
   B) New Hampshire
   C) Maine
   D) Vermont
   E) Connecticut
4. In Disney’s Haunted Mansion, what is the name of the medium whose head is conducting a séance from within a crystal ball?
5. The phrase, “a rag and a bone and a hank of hair” comes from the poem The Vampire by which author?
   A) Gerard Manley Hopkins
   B) Rudyard Kipling
   C) Robert Browning
   D) John Dryden
   E) Thomas Hardy
6. The term for the employee in a morgue or forensic lab who is responsible for moving, handling, and cleaning the corpse is Diener, which means “servant” in what language?
7. The Japanese Mujina is a magical animal which can shapeshift and particularly likes to prank people by appearing as a faceless human. What kind of animal is it?
   A) Pig
   B) Sparrow
   C) Cat
   D) Badger
   E) Fox
8. Who wrote and performed the Ghostbusters theme song?
9. The Bible’s Book of Revelations specifies “the number of the beast” as being 666; rather than a prophecy, however, most scholars believe this to be a politically-pointed numerological reference to what historical figure?
   A) Diocletian
   B) Julius Caesar
   C) Nero
   D) Constantine
   E) Cicero
10. The third installment in the Halloween movie franchise didn’t feature any elements from the first two films, instead presenting a convoluted plot about sinister Halloween masks. What was this film’s title? (Hint: It’s also the title of a popular song by Donovan.)

(Answers below the fold)

Read the rest of this entry »