4 days til Hallowe'en!!!!! No, really this time...or is it 3?

Whatever. It's getting close and I have about a billion and 30 things to do before the big night. Adding up days is not one of them.

But, sparking from the sick pit that is my brains (braaaaaaiiiinnnnnnsssss), here is our front yard as it stood yesterday.

 

It's so pretty.  And at night, sooper spooky!  Notice the mass murder that occurred inside the house.  Lemme tell you, when the sun sets and shines in the windows, it's a total gorefest in there!

This is one of the 5 new tombstones for this year's Senior Prom themed Hallowe'en.  Poor Parker, touched down in heaven on the day before his 16th birthday.  Wonder what happened there???

People cannot pass our house without stopping to gawk.  LOVE IT!!!

I'm having a blast this year!

4 days til Hallowe'en!!!!!

Holy Hallowe'en Batman!!!  How did it suddenly get this close!!!!!

Actually, I've been out back building up a storm...

Did you know I had brick columns in my front yard?  Neither did my neighbors until last night! This is the first photo.  There will be more coming tonight and tomorrow. 

18 Days until Hallowe'en - Updates

Candlery 

I'm about 50% finished with the candles - those should be finished tomorrow night. Last year I made my candles out of toilet paper and paper towel rolls.  They were awesome but they definitely did not hold up.  This year I'm making them out of PVC pipe.  More expensive, less recycling, but at least I'm not wasting a pack of glue sticks every year. These should last for a couple of years at least, and next year I'm definitely going to be reusing them.

I got the idea from Dave Lowe and then Ghoul Friday, two of my favorite Hallowe'enie bloggers. 

Major glitch.  

I special ordered some materials at Home Depot for my cemetery columns and they called me at 8 p.m. last night to let me know that they wouldn't be able to get them in.  Aaargh!!!  I must say, this does put a crimp in my activities.

I love my Home Depot.  Pretty much every time I go in there, they are helpful and friendly and have what I need. This time, they failed me. 

Grrr, I say. Grr. 

Costumery

People keep asking me what I'm going to be this year, but I'm not telling.  It's an '80s theme, so one can start there. The Mr. and I are, as usual, going as a pair.  The year before last we were Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett.  Hmmm. Who might we be???

I hope to have photos of the columns in progress and the completed candles this weekend.  Stay tuned.

20 days til Hallowe'en

Today's plan:

• Make candles
• check the paints in the garage
• Order straw bales

We have a ton of paint from when we moved in and had the house painted, but of course, I have absolutely no idea what is in each can, so this afternoon I will go out and check all the cans. Of course, it's going to be 95 degrees in the valley this afternoon which would make for awesome paint drying weather, but I can't actually paint until tomorrow. 

The sickness/obsession/fun that is Hallowe'en, as I am rushing to finish this year's props, is that I have already decided on a theme for next year.  I'm going to do a total Dia de los Muertos theme.  I live in a moderately Latino neighborhood in a heavily Latino city, so that works very, very well. Also, it'll be super easy to add to my existing props - I definitely won't have to make a ton of new ones. 

Nothing like a little planning ahead....

21 days til Hallowe'en - prop building

Aaaah!!!

I did a lot of work this weekend.  Got the framing of all of the columns built and got my new gravestones.  Unfortunately, it's going to be 20 billion degrees in Burbank this week, which is great for paint drying but not as great for me being outside actually putting paint on things.  So I'll probably be working in the garage a bit and then doing whatever I can indoors.  I have candles and signs to make, both of which can be done indoors (though it would probably be easier outdoors, but oh well).  I can also put a first coat on the gravestones and have those dry in no time flat.

The guys at Home Depot are starting to recognize me...

24 days until Hallowe'en - Photos of Hallowe'ens past

Yes, it's a lot of baked goods. Because baking is my secret power....but I'm also pretty good at tombstones!

I wish I could find the photo of the meat foot I made.  I guess I'll just have to make another one and take photos.

Books from a garage sale and a skull from Michael's.

It's a cake. It actually tasted very good. Whatever. You don't have to eat it...

Witches' fingers

Revenge of the L.A. Opera Sale!!!!

I went to the first ever L.A. Opera Sale which was, frankly, quite fabulous.  If you're in Los Angeles this weekend, I highly recommend it (although I also HIGHLY recommend getting there VERY early.  Like 8 a.m. early.  Not kidding.  There was a line last time (I think it was 2 years ago) that wrapped around the block but it is entirely worth it as entire sets of costumes from the L.A. Opera are for sale in addition to hats, props, molds, and other bric a brac.  They completely sold out last time.  Also, this year it is occurring on the same day as CicLAvia, so there will be street closures.

Last time I bought a couple of hats (quelle surprise) and a few molds.  Now where are those things....

Anyway, here's the deets.

I will not be there this year as I need no new costumery, but tell me all about it if you go!

The Build is On

Earlier in the week I filled the sprinkler trenches.  You see, I was going to put in sprinklers in my backyard. 

I am very ambitious.  

I dug the trenches.  I have no freaking idea how to install sprinklers though, so the trenches sat.  In fact they sat so long that they were on the Google Earth shot of our home.  Awesome!  Anyway, the trenches were refilled with some dirt from a project across the alley from our house.  I just asked the nice men to dump a scoop of dirt over the wall.  It was mostly topsoil as well, so good for me and my future plants!

This weekend, the building begins in earnest.  Swear to Maude, if it rains Hallowe'en weekend, I'm going to be one very, very unhappy camper. 

But it's not going to rain this weekend and that's good because much building and papier mache-ing will be taking place and papier mache does not do well in the rain...  I'm making one very large trip to Home Depot on Saturday morning.  Wish my poor PT cruiser luck.  She's gonna need it.

So what's on the agenda?  I have 7 columns, one lava pit, 4 hands and some headstones to build.  I'm going to be buying the most random stuff. Buckets, lumber, foam, Great Stuff...My fellow haunters are all pretty familiar with this stuff, but I'm not sure how the folks at Home Depot will react.  After all, someone did call me "little lady" when I rented that sod cutter awhile back.  Whatever.  They must be familiar with prop builders. It is the Burbank Home Depot after all.

So, what are your plans for the weekend?

The Shed of Dread

So, my regular readers know of the ever-growing farm on my .14 acres of land. I have plotted out the changes and it is only after the High Holiday (not Rosh Hashanah/Yom Kippur, you know...Hallowe'en) will the farm start going in, in earnest.  Part of the plan for the farm includes the "Shed of Dread."

I have some Hallowe'en props.  I currently have about 12 headstones, two coffins, a cauldron, lighting, fog machine, I'm building 7 columns, 3 full size skeletons, one waist and below body, tons of random body parts, I have urns and interior decor, etc.  It takes up quite a bit of garage space.

Recently I read someone's tag on HauntForum that reads: "There's never enough time, storage space or duct tape."  Never have I read truer words, but indeed, the shed of dread will make the storage space issue less of a problem.  I hope.

Not the actual "shed of dread".

Why are sheds so damn expensive??? And spooky? And filled with spiders?

Hallowe'en gifts

If ever you were thinking about what I might like as a gift, this is it. 

It's from Williams-Sonoma. Just so you know.

Some of the higher end giftie-type stores (Williams-Sonoma, Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, Z Gallerie) often try their hands at Hallowe'en merchandise.  I have seen some wins, like the above cauldron coffee mug, and some epic fails.  Here are some other wins from this season.

The Pottery Barn drink dispenser is a total win.

Z Gallerie's offerings this year are not that great, but I'm loving the Phantom Candelabra.

Unfortunately, Crate and Barrel is having more of a traditionally kiddie Hallowe'en offering this year with lots of orange, purple and black tablecloths and napkins and spider cupcake holders.  Someone's style, but not mine.

The ne plus ultra of Hallowe'en gift catalogs is Grandin Road. Their selection is awesome.  There are some rumblings that they have ripped off some home haunters out of hand, which will totally suck if it's true, but they really do have the stuff.  These are probably my favorites, and after having been offered for years, I should really buy these as I'm sure they are going to stop selling them one of these days and I'm going to be profoundly disappointed.

Spoooooooky!

I've enlisted my brother this weekend for some building, so that's happening.  Photos will be taken.

Have a great day!!!

Already???

How is it already October 3rd? My peeps on HauntForum are having a big giggle by counting down the days until it is go time for all the props to be dry and set up.  For some people, that was this weekend!!! It's kinda stressful though...I only have 25 days to set up!  Crap!

I am slowly gathering the things I need, but they are a sooper seekret surprise until the theme is set up.  I wish I could share all the toys I've been collecting.  I can share one, however, because it's store bought. I'm dressing it up a little, but this year's skeleton from Target is quite a step up.  Fully posable and glow in the dark, it is actually close to full size and somewhat anatomically correct to boot. He's only $40 bucks which, for a blow molded skeleton (also called a blucky) is totally worth it for that kind of quality. Oddly, Target has a super-crappy photo of it.

Odd that they would have such a stupid photo.  It's almost like they don't want to sell them....

Anyway, I bought a couple of these.  They are going to have a pretty prominent place in the haunt. 

In other news.  I had to buy a few Hallowe'en treats for the house after seeing them on x-entertainment's annual review of Hallowe'en goodies.  I got the Eggo Pumpkin Waffles, the Autumn MnMs and the Hallowe'en oreos which are frankly, my favorite as I have the best memory of them.

The year the Hallowe'en Oreos came out, I went to a party where someone brought them.

It wasn't a costume party, I don't even think it was a Hallowe'en party, but one friend was wearing overalls.  He might have been a little stoned.  He put one in his mouth and promptly upon tasting the orange and black treat, he started stuffing them into each pocket of his overalls.  Including the front pocket.  This action was not for my amusement as I don't think he even knew I was in the room, he just really, REALLY wanted some more of those damn Oreos.  I might also have been under the influence.  I started giggling maniacally.  He noticed me and turned red as a beet. We pretty much laughed all night.

Go get some Hallowe'en Oreos.  Yummy ghostie goodness!!!

The Countdown Begins!!!!

Alright all you ghouls!  The haunting season is officially upon us and the Mr. has officially deemed it appropriate to start setting out decorations as of today.  A bit of organizing happened this afternoon. Tomorrow, I have the niece for an afternoon of pizza and skeeball (my favorite!) but later in the day I have plenty of work to do.

I have already planned the front yard and the back yard and house are in the final planning stages. 

I've joined the Countdown to Hallowe'en again this year and therefore am going to try to get a post a day up about the progress of this year's party and decor.

Happy Hallowe'en month everyone!!!