Add frightful flair to your monster mash this Halloween with Sharpie markers and pens!  Using Sharpie to create costumes, liven up lanterns, decorate pumpkins and personalize accessories,  you will be able to trick AND treat your way through a Happy Halloween.

Now crank up ”Thriller” and let’s put those Sharpies to work!

Jack of All Trades This year, think beyond your traditional Jack O’ Lantern! Take it a step further and use Sharpie markers as your #1 pumpkin decorating tool.  After picking the perfect pumpkin, draw Halloween images, spooky sceneries and creative designs with all different Sharpie markers.  Stencils are also a fun and easy way to copy your favorite images.  Take a look at Stencil1 for cool Halloween stencils and tips. While you’re there take a peek at other stencils for more holiday craft ideas!  In the mean time, here are some ideas to get you started…

images from: Random Ramblings, House of Thrill and Homes & Gardens

It’s Tricky to Rock a Rhyme That’s Right on Time It’s Tricky… It’s tricky tricky tricky (or TREAT!) A fun activity for kids is to customize and decorate their own Trick or Treat bags!  Pillow cases, paper bags, and buckets are all great options.  Supply them with Sharpie markers to decorate their “loot sacks” in any way they please!  Decorate to match a costume or stencil names in a spooky font, either way your little goblin will be ready to rock n’ roll and make the rounds on Halloween night!

Are You Afraid of the Dark? Don’t get caught wandering in the dark on Halloween night; you never know what could be lurking past midnight! Light the way with these ghostly Sharpie lights and lanterns.   Use recycled milk jugs and buckets, like these, to brighten the pathway for Trick or Treaters, or get plastic flashlights to carry around with you. 

images from: Family Corner and BrokenSteps.com

How about a faux lantern for day time? Image from Country Living

Think Outside of the Box The budget is a little tight this year and I don’t have a ton of cash to throw out for a Halloween costume.  No way, not another ghost costume again this year (I can’t spare anymore white bed sheets)…   With a few Sharpies you can easily cook up great Halloween costume and save a bundle! After looking at pictures of costumes, I came to this conclusion: Sharpie + Cardboard Box = Endless possibilites!  In literally seconds I thought up all sorts of costumes to make with a box and Sharpie markers: Robot, Phone Booth, Zack Morris’ Cell Phone :) , Skateboard, iPod, Movie Theatre Box of Candy, Go-Kart, Dart Board, Refrigerator, Rocket Ship, a SmartCar.  (Look at me getting all creative!)  Here are some pics that I like of “Lego people” costumes.  Round up friends and you could be an entire group of Lego people!!

images from: FamilyGo and DavidBau.com

Know Your INS and OUTS Can’t last all night wearing a bulky box? I hear ya partner!  Plus, I’m pretty sure that wearing a box, my “Thriller” dance would look more like a scene from “March of the Penguins!”   Well here’s a clever idea that I thought up to get a 2 for 1 deal out of a Halloween costume and a sure fire way to be the life (or death) of the party!

Choose a costume theme, such as a Race Car or Computer, design your box accordingly.  Next, on a solid colored onesie or a t-shirt and pants, draw your “insides” with Sharpie markers (Race Car: driver’s suit/Computer: inner wiring)!  Let me explain: Say you are a Refrigerator - Draw items that are found inside of a refrigerator all over your shirt and pants.  Or how about you are a Casket or Grave site- draw a full skeleton on a onesie with Sharpie.  *Don’t stick to black and white either – the 80’s are back baby and I want to be a hot pink skeleton this year!) By wearing both, if you want to take off the box you are still sporting a killer costume that will knock those zombies right off their feet!

(Final Thought) *4 out of 5 Dentists Approve: Instead of handing out candy, give Sharpie markers to your trick or treaters this year!

Send in pictures of how you incorporate Sharpie markers this year and they will get posted on the Sharpie Blog and Facebook page!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and I’m seeing Pink support absolutely everywhere.  Pink in the grocery store, at the gas station,  in the headlines on the news, even the NFL proved that real men wear pink this weekend!  I love the fact that people all over the country are working together  to promote breast cancer awareness!

 Here at Sharpie, we too are playing an active role in supporting the cause.  With our friends at City of Hope Breast Cancer Research Center, these are a few ways we are showing our support this month: 

JEANS WEEK FOR HOPE: Employees donated $10 (or more) to  City of Hope, a breast cancer research, treatment and education center and may wear jeans to work beginning September 28th through October 9th! 

BAKE SALE: Friday, October 2nd we had a HUGE Bake Sale, giving all proceeds to City of Hope.  People offered their culinary expertise by bringing in all sorts of delicious pink treats including cookies, cupcakes, and muffins.  (*Note: Thank you to the one health concious person who brought in apples, carrots and celery sticks.  Nice try, but no dice..) Though I am not sure how much was raised at our Bake Sale I can tell you this much, there was nearly nothing to chose from once 3 o’ clock rolled around!

BREAST CANCER-INSPIRED ART: After NY Fashion Week wrapped up, I sent out small 5×7 canvases and a box of Sharpie markers to a host of top designers.  In the packages was a note inviting the designers to participate in a charity initiative with Sharpie and City of Hope Cancer Research Center.  We asked for a sketch, doodle, design anything to inspire and empower women.  Each sketch will later be donated to City of Hope and auctioned online during Ocotober. All proceeds will benefit City of Hope. I’ve already received a few canvases and am very excited to see more as they come in!  Please join us for the auction and  bid on these one-of-a-kind canvases on City of Hope’s auction site: www.auctionsforhopes.org.

WALK FOR HOPE: Sunday, Ocotober 4th employees participated in Walk for Hope, a national breast cancer walk series that raises millions of dollars in support of breast cancer research, treatment and education programs at City of Hope.   Click Here for more info.

PINK INK: Sharpie will donate ten cents from the sale of each Pink Ribbon Sharpie marker and Pink Ribbon Sharpie Accent Highlighter to City of Hope for breast cancer research, treatment and education.  Don’t you just love these:

While October is recognized as Breast Cancer Awareness month, we should not limit oursleves to this one month out of the entire year.   Although many great strides have been made in breast cancer awareness and treatment, there remains much to be accomplished.  Women need to be educated and empowered year round to take charge of their own health by practicing regular exams, scheduling regular visits with their healthcare provider, and knowing the facts about breast cancer.  For more information , please visit www.cityofhope.org.

Here’s a little idea from a blog named chew ~

If you follow these easy steps, you’ll know just what to do ~

First get yourself a box ~

Then a Sharpie and some mox(y) ~

And soon you’ll be wrapping like this too!

Okay, so forget the rap career.  In my next life I’m coming back as a gift wrapper anyway (my mom was a gift wrapper at the Boston Store – it’s in my genes!), one who creates really awesome custom wraps like this one from chewingthecud, whose editor is a San Francisco-based designer.

I absolutely love this and am beyond impressed.  Such a simple idea executed so well.  The color pops and the black ribbon ties it off to perfection.  I’d love to receive a gift like this.  I might even find a place to put it on permanent display.  For all the quick, easy steps, visit chewingthecud.com.

Out of the box - set your inner artist free with Sharpie

Ready for giving

Details, details

This cat pretty much says it all.   Day after Thanksgiving and all I want is a couch and a Sharpie : )     This is Jasper, plucked from Kostia on Flickr.

As is tradition at our house on Thanksgiving, we did an art project with the cousins.  Previous projects have included handmade snow globes, beaded Christmas ornaments, small decorative Christmas  trees. This year we did ceramic Christmas ornaments with Sharpies.  See our fabulous results below!

It starts with a bowl o' Sharpies

My personal favorite by Aunt Suzanne

Emily's spider stocking

Sharpie stockings by Teague, Wil, Jack, Suzanne, Emily, Me, Paige

The holidays are always such a busy time, who has time to THINK?   As you head into Thanksgiving’s Big Sleep (compliments of turkey’s tryptophan and a day spent on your feet in the kitchen), kick back, relax, and enjoy this delightful little holiday video.  Pop artist Jelene Morris turns it out Sharpie Style, and like her legions of followers, we’re mesmerized by her fun, funky creations.

Okay, I’m not sure where this came from but it’s on sharpie.com in the History section.  Back in the early 60’s when Sharpie was first introduced, Johnny Carson and Jack Parr from the Tonight Show were some of our first product endorsers.  So I think that’s where the NBC Sharpie Peacock was born.

Now if a Sharpie NBC “Turkey” isn’t exactly what you had in mind for your Thanksgiving centerpiece, here’s a quick idea from interior designer Libby Langdon to personalize your table.  This is an easy one for me because I happen to have dozens of decorative stones “sleeping” in the backyard, just waiting for a place at my Thanksgiving table.   I’m going to use some combination of Sharpie’s new Coleurs Cafe markers – the colors are just right for Thanksgiving:  Earl Grey, Pomegranite, Blueberry, Mocha and Hibiscus.

Limited Edition Hurry!

Sharpied Stones

“Thankful” Stone Place Cards and Centerpiece

Gather smooth creamy river rocks from a lake, pond or beach or buy a big bag of them at a local garden center or home improvement store. Write each guest’s name with a black Sharpie pen on a stone and rest them on napkins at each place setting on the table. Fill a large glass bowl or vase with the remaining river stones and a glass of black Sharpie pens on a buffet. When guests arrive, ask them to write what they are thankful for in one word on a stone (they can do as many as they like)… have the table set with a bamboo or cork runner (or any runner you have) down the center and set patches of moss on top of the runner. Ask guests to place their “thankful stones” down the center of the tables in and around the moss and then complete the table setting by adding loads of little white votive candles in clear glass holders to create a warm glow. This is a fun idea because the stones double as place cards and it’s also a conversation starter that gets people talking at the table about what they are thankful for.

I am thankful for you, Sharpie blog readers!

Emma's Peace

Thought I’d get a jump on the holidays with this card created by Emma, age 6.  Emma’s “Pees on -th” card (translation:  Peace on Earth) is part of the  One Million Peace Signs project on Flickr.   Check out the group’s website and blog.

Here’s what the project is about:

“Peace can start small, and every single act of Peace matters. Maybe you don’t have the time or energy to make a huge impact on Peace today…but maybe you can still commit some Little Act of Peace. And you can pass it on…right here. Brainstorm it at the dinner table and add your idea…we think it’s gonna be something we can all learn from and add to!”

Grab a Sharpie and do a Peace Doodle!

As of this posting, Emma’s photo is one of 9,006 photos from 2,988 members in 321 days.   Scrolling through the images is not only moving but inspiring.  I don’t know about you, but there are never enough ways to say “peace.”

Check out some of the amazing peace statements that have been submitted, then remember you don’t have to climb the highest mountain to spread the peace word; sometimes a Sharpie scribble is enough.

Peace.