Halloween is just around the corner, and if you are still struggling with what you want to go as this year, we have the perfect idea.

Thinking of going as a clown? Well, why not be one of the most terrifying clowns of all time—“Evil Ronald McDonald”? With our ideas, you can show this evil clown’s true colors and teach partygoers a little something about McCruelty too.

For the Makeup
Around Halloween, there seems to be costume makeup everywhere. Cruelty-free brands
like wet n wild’s Fantasy Makers line are available at most drugstores and discount stores, but if you are feeling ambitious, you can also easily make your own with a few simple ingredients.

To make your own:

2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. solid vegetable shortening
Food coloring drops (don’t use too much because it can stain your face)
More cornstarch or baby powder

• Mix all the ingredients together, except the extra cornstarch or baby powder, using whichever colors you want.
• Apply the makeup to your face as desired.
• Pat your face with a dab of the extra cornstarch or baby powder to set it.

To make different colors, just divide the mixture into smaller portions and color each as you wish. You can also double this recipe to make a large batch.

For the “Evil Ronald” look, you would need to make a red color for the lips and nose and then a creepy grayish shade for the face. You can get this effect by mixing a small amount of black food dye (available at cake-decorating shops) with just the plain white base or you can also experiment with blue. If you can’t find the black food dye, maybe go the “Evil Ronald Zombie” route and mix together some green with a dash of red and blue.

For the Blood
You can make up a batch of fake blood for your Halloween costume simply by mixing some red food dye into a bottle of corn syrup. This “blood” will be extremely thick and goopy. For a thinner style and a splattering effect, just take about a half cup of the fake blood and add it to a spray bottle with just enough water to make it slightly watery (like the consistency of thin hand soap) and then spray where you need it.

For the Outfit
Try one of PETA’s McCruelty tees or a “blood”-stained yellow tee with some “blood”-stained yellow pants (scrubs work well) and accessorize with some creepy clown shoes, goofy socks, and a gnarled-up red clown wig from your local Halloween shop. And of course, what “Evil Ronald” would be complete without a “bloody” fake cleaver or knife as a prop?

Need inspiration? Just check out the costume job on Andy Dick in this video.

Please send us pictures if you make this costume. Happy haunting!

Jeremy Burgin / cc

Along with all the lovely things that our canine companions give us—including unconditional love, laughter, friendship, doggie kisses, joy, comfort, and an exercise partner who never bails out at the last minute—our dogs also give us a lot of, well, crap. You know what I’m talking about, dog guardians … the stuff you scoop up in plastic bags when you take Woofie for a walk.

Cleaning up after our pals is a tiny price to pay for their friendship. But what to do with all this “doo”? Sure, you can toss it out with the trash, but then it’s just going to sit in a landfill—and that’s not so nice for our beautiful planet.

There may be a better way. According to a recent post on The New York Times’ Green Inc. blog, a dog park in Ithaca, New York, is going green with the brown stuff. Patrons pick up after their pups with special corn-based bags and place the waste in bins near the park’s entrances. Once a week, a composting company takes the dog waste to a facility, where it’s piled with yard and wood waste in the hope of turning it into usable compost. Pretty cool! Let’s hope this trend catches on across the country.

Do you have a “green” way to deal with your dogs’ “doo”? Tell us in the comments!

McBeth / cc

I get a thrill and a sense of well-being when I see wildlife around my home. Because of my busy lifestyle, my lawn and garden beds tend to look a little more unkempt and a little less manicured than I’d like―to the point where I expect to receive disapproving glares from neighbors. However, this lack of regular pruning, mowing, and trimming produces an unexpected bonus: more natural areas that are welcoming to wild creatures.

There are a number of ways in which you can make your yard more hospitable to wildlife, and many of them require very little effort or maintenance:

1. Build a brush pile. Start with some larger logs, then pile on smaller branches.

2. Make or buy a toad house. Place a chipped ceramic flower pot upside-down (with a hole large enough for a toad to enter), or prop the edge of the flowerpot up on a stone.

3. Place dog fur, cat fur, bunny fur, and even your own hair clippings outside for birds to use in their nests. You can place the hair/fur in a net bag, or lay it out on bushes.

4. Lay off the pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides. Look into natural and organic remedies for lawn and garden problems.

5. Install a birdbath. Change the water every two to three days in warm weather, and use a heater in cold months to keep the water from freezing. Don’t warm up the water too much, however; birds might be tempted to bathe and then end up freezing to death.

6. Put up a bat house to encourage the presence of these shy animals. Bats can eat up to 1,000 mosquitoes in an hour. Plus they’re just really cute.

7. Plant native species that produce yummy edibles for wildlife. Consult a local garden center for plants native to your area.

8. Reduce the size of your lawn. Grass lawns do very little for wildlife; try groundcovers or wildflowers instead.

9. Keep dead trees around. Resist the urge to remove them for aesthetic reasons—they make good animal habitats and bird perches!

10. Grow native flowering plants to encourage butterflies, and place flat basking stones in sunny locations for them to warm their wings on.

Isa Chandra Moskowitz has done it again: The bestselling author and star of The Post Punk Kitchen has put together 175 animal-free recipes for your mouth’s enjoyment. Her latest book, Vegan Brunch: Homestyle Recipes Worth Waking Up for—From Asparagus Omelets to Pumpkin Pancakes, has everything you’ll need to wow your cohorts after a late night of partying, create the perfect brunch spread for a special occasion, or just spoil that vegan tummy of yours.

Isa has filled this cookbook with the most mouthwatering brunch recipes we’ve ever seen. Your curiosity will definitely get the best of you, since you’ll be trying every recipe to find out if Isa’s food taste as good as it looks (it does!). Isa’s thrown in anything and everything you could possibly crave, from pumpkin French toast and cocoa raspberry muffins to lemon pepper tofu and scrambled tortillas.

For your chance to win a copy of the book, complete the form below by August 21. Five lucky winners will be chosen at random and notified by August 27.

This contest has now ended.

Order now!

When I was in elementary school in the ’80s, I remember that the three R’s were all the rage. No, not “reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmatic” from my parents’ day (I never understood why they were called the three R’s in the first place), but “reduce, reuse, and recycle.”

My heart goes out to the patient parents of my classmates, who became “enforcers” of the three R’s, and listened as their well-meaning children scrutinized their every move—pointing out things like turning off the water while brushing their teeth and shutting the lights off when leaving a room.

These tidbits of advice still ring true today—perhaps now more than ever in these tight economic times when every little bit helps. To meet the demand of conscious consumers, “green” products are popping up everywhere. These days, there are just so many more things we can do to take heed of that old classroom advice, like making toiletry bags out of billboards!

Yes, that’s right—one of my new favorite ways to show my green side is the new toiletry bag in our catalog, which has been crafted out of a Pam Anderson PETA billboard. They are cute and funky and have that DIY feel that I’m always a fan of. And they come with essential goodies made from recycled materials (a toothbrush and razor with refills from Preserve).

So take a piece of PETA’s history (and Pam Anderson’s “Give Fur the Cold Shoulder” billboard) with you on your travels—it’s sure to receive compliments and is nothing short of a great excuse to dive into a conversation about animal rights!

DivineCaroline

The following is a post by Sandy Powers, provided by DivineCaroline.

Recently, I was a guest on Cory Farley’s radio show on KBZZ in Reno, Nevada, to talk about my vegetable garden growing on my back porch. It’s called “square foot gardening.” Not as ambitious as our First Lady’s gardening efforts but still will harvest a load of vegetables.

You begin with two 8×12 pieces of untreated lumber. You don’t want chemicals to leach into the soil. Cut in half. If you ask, the lumber business will probably do it for you. Now you have four pieces of wood, each 4×4, 12 inches width. Nail the pieces together to form a square—that’s your four square planting box. Set on a 4×4 sheet of plywood that you drilled three holes in for drainage. Set the planting box where you want to grow your vegetables. Fill with a mixture of topsoil and organic potting soil.

Before I start planting, I line three pieces of string down and three pieces of string across to divide the planting into 16 squares. I now begin to plant: tomatoes, bell peppers, green beans, green peas, carrots, and broccoli. I plant these vegetables because, not only are they my favorite vegetables, but I harvest so many that I freeze what I don’t eat. I am saving money by eating vegetables long after the growing season is over.

I freeze the tomatoes whole, uncooked, to use in recipes later. The bell peppers—green, yellow, and red—I wash, core, and freeze uncooked. The others I blanch in boiling water for a few minutes, and then freeze.

It really is so easy. Give square foot gardening a try. You’re not only saving money, but you’re eating the tastiest vegetables possible.

If the Veg Cooking Blog’s recent contest for the ice cream recipe book The Vegan Scoop left you thinking, “Who wants ice cream with jalapeños in it?” or “I prefer alcohol in a cocktail, not in my ice cream, thank you,” then we have a new ice cream contest that is perfect for you.

Lick It! Creamy Dreamy Vegan Ice Creams Your Mouth Will Love is the kid-friendly ice cream recipe book that has something for everyone. It contains more than 200 recipes for completely dairy-free ice creams and frozen treats that are made from natural ingredients. Sure, there are some gourmet flavors, but the real stars of this cookbook are the traditional ice cream flavors that can be used in pies, cakes, sundaes, shakes, and more!

Now is your chance to win one of five free copies of Lick It! Creamy Dreamy Vegan Ice Creams Your Mouth Will Love!

To enter, just tell us which classic ice cream flavor is your favorite and why:

a) Chocolate
b) Vanilla
c) Strawberry
d) Neapolitan
e) Other

The contest ends on July 20, and five winners will be chosen at random by July 24. Be sure to read our privacy policy and terms and conditions, as you’re agreeing to both by commenting. Good luck!

This contest has now ended.

PETA recently became partners with the online information hub for women: Divine Caroline.

Divine Caroline is a lifestyle site for women, by women. It is fueled by stories, information, and the personal experiences of experts and everyday people.

We will be posting our articles there as well as continuing to post on PETA Living, but on our Divine Caroline page, you will also be able to check out our product reviews and other helpful ways to share animal-friendly tips and information.
Divine Caroline is free to join, read, write, start forums, and pass things along to your friends. Check out our profile, and if you have your own already, become our friend!

They’re your most dependable form of transportation and the perfect excuse for buying a closet full of cute nonleather shoes. Don’t your feet deserve a special treat? A pedicure is the perfect way to show them some love and put more pep in your step. So put your feet up (literally) and give your toes some TLC with a spa-quality, at-home, cruelty-free pedicure.

What You Will Need
Pillows
A stool or chair
A clean towel
A hair dryer (optional)
A CD player and a relaxing CD (optional)
Cotton balls
Q-tips
A basin or tub
Epsom salt
Nail polish remover
Clippers
Nail file
Small brush
Cuticle treatment
Pumice footstone
Lotion
Nail polish
Search for cruelty-free products.

Procedure
Set aside approximately 45 minutes for your pedicure. Before you begin, set up a comfortable, well-lit area and gather down-free, nonshedding pillows (fluff will stick to polish) and a chair or stool to prop your feet on. Consider playing soothing music for a relaxing ambiance. Then follow the steps below:

• Fill a basin or tub with warm water. Add Epsom salts and soak your feet for 10 to 15 minutes.

• Gently pat your feet dry with a clean towel.

• Thoroughly remove any old nail polish.

• Clip your toenails straight across with clippers.

• File the toenails to smooth any rough edges.

• Gently buff and smooth your feet with a small brush. Make sure to pay special attention to your heels, the balls of your feet, and the outsides of your pinkie toes.

• Push your cuticles back with the edge of the nail file. Use a cuticle treatment if the cuticles do not push back easily.

• Exfoliate any dry skin with a foot scrub. Use a pumice stone on rough patches.

• Apply a generous amount of lotion to your feet. Gently massage it into your feet and calves.

• Wash away any excess moisturizer from your nails and then separate your toes by placing cotton between them.

• Apply one layer of base coat. Allow time for it to dry, or use a hair dryer set on low heat.

• Apply two coats of color. Use a Q-tip moistened with nail polish remover to remove any mistakes. Again, let your toes dry.

• Apply a clear top coat to add shine and to protect the color from chipping.

• Apply foot spray in order to cool and soothe fatigued, overworked feet (optional).

Tips for Happy Feet

• Don’t toast your toes! Protect them from the sun with a cruelty-free sunscreen.

• Trim your toenails straight across at least once a month.

• To give dry feet some extra lovin’, lather them up with lotion, cover them with clean cotton socks, and let them moisturize overnight.

• Now that your feet are happy and your toes are pretty from your pedicure, show them off with a pair of sexy summer sandals.

mambosprouts / cc

They’re great for helping you relax or igniting some passion for a romantic rendezvous, but did you know that candles often contain ingredients that snuff out animals? Many candles are made from beeswax stolen from industrious bees’ hives, stearic acid made from tallow (a slaughterhouse product derived from beef or sheep fat), and cetyl palmitate, a waxy oil taken from sperm whales’ heads or from dolphins.

Although some paraffin candles are animal-free, they can be bad for your health and the environment. The soot given off from the burning of petroleum-based paraffin candles is essentially the same as that given off by burning diesel fuel. Fortunately, it’s now easier than ever to find or make soy candles, which burn cleaner, last longer, are better for the environment, and do not depend on killing and stealing from animals. Check out our list of compassionate candle companies, or get crafty and make your own.

These soy container candles are fun and easy to make. Get ready to let your creativity and compassion shine!

What You Will Need
• 1 pound of soy-wax flakes (found on the Internet or in local hobby shops)
• 1 mason jar or another type of decorative jar made with thick, heat-resistant glass
• 1 ounce of fragrance oil (since you won’t be adding dye to the wax, we suggest picking a scent that complements a white candle)
• 1 cotton wick (use a wick that’s attached to a metal disc)
• Scissors
• Superglue

Procedure
1. Wash and dry your glass jar completely.
2. Put a couple of drops of superglue on the bottom of the wick (metal tab), then place the metal tab at the bottom of the jar.
3. Hold the wick in place for about a minute or until the glue dries.
4. Slowly heat soy wax in a pan over medium heat until it is completely melted.
5. Remove the soy wax from the burner.
6. Stir in fragrance oil (we recommend essential oils) until it is absorbed into the soy wax.
7. Gently and slowly pour the soy-wax mixture into the jar.
8. Position the wick in the center.
9. Once the wax turns solid, trim the wick to ½ inch.
10. Light your candle and enjoy!

Find more animal-friendly candles by checking out PETA’s handy online shopping guide or shopping at the PETA Mall.