The Haunted Yard

Absence

2010-06-26T19:19:00.002-06:00

I haven't touched this blog in months. I apologize for the lack of updates and review of last Halloween.

Less than 2 weeks after Halloween, I lost my husband. His passing was sudden and unexpected and plunged me into a grief I could never have imagined. I'm beginning to emerge and hope to blog again soon.

Amy

© 2010 Haunted Yard

Nibbles

2009-10-30T20:42:00.002-06:00

I whipped up some finger cookies and brains last night to snack on this weekend. Yum! The smoked salmon dip recipe was the perfect color and consistency to pipe into a creepy, yummy brain.

Have a safe and Happy Halloween everyone!

A Few Creepy Links

2009-10-28T09:51:00.005-06:00

...to get you in the haunting spirit.

Famous Ossuaries - I'm fascinated by the Sedlec Ossuary "Bone Church" and the chandelier of bones.

6 Creepiest Places on Earth - Sedlec Ossuary makes another appearance here!

Catacombs, Crypts and Cemeteries -Anyone else making travel plans?

America's Most Haunted Places - I don't believe in the supernatural/paranormal, but I love a good ghost story!

Mütter Museum

Turn of the Century Photos - Not exactly "creepy" but wouldn't some of these photos look great in old frames as Halloween decorations?

38 Facts about Frankenstein -By far my favorite movie to watch every Halloween. Don't miss 5 Days of Frankenstein from James Lileks beginning here.

10 Things Your Body Can Do After You Die

Coffin Purse

2009-10-25T16:12:00.010-06:00

The question I am asked most often during the month of October is, "Where did you get your coffin purse?" When I answer that I made it, the second most asked question is "How?" So, I've put together a quick tutorial to make a coffin purse.

Items you'll need to make the purse are*: foam craft board, fabric (I used a faux leather because it is durable and the cut edges won't fray), a ruler, pencil, craft glue, craft knife and purse accessories. I ordered hinges, clasps and the handle from Light'n Up.

To start, I traced out the shape of the coffin in the size I wanted on the foam board. I drew a rectangle 7 inches by 11 inches. Starting from the upper left corner, I measured down 1.25 inches and to the right 3 inches. I made the same measurements from the bottom left corner. From the top right corner, I measured down 1.5 inches and measured up 1.5 inches from the bottom right corner.

Then, I just connected my measured marks to create the shape of the coffin. Repeat to create the lid for the purse.*

With a sharp craft knife and a straight edge, I carefully cut out the shapes. To make the sides of the purse, I measured the lengths of each side and cut out pieces 3 inches high for the base and 1/2 inch for the lid. With a bead of glue I attached the sides and secured them with duct tape.

Next, I traced the coffin on to my fabric. I measured perpendicular to each corner of the box and traced a rectangle large enough to cover the outside and inside of the box. I did this for both the bottom and the lid and cut the fabric with sharp scissors.

Using craft glue, I glued the the fabric to the box and covered the bottom of the box with a piece of fabric cut to size.

I attached the handle and clasp and then attached the lid to with the box with hinges. Since the screws are so small and the craft board is softer than the wood they were meant for, I reinforced them with glue.

In hindsight, I am not really happy with the fabric I chose for this project. It had a bit of elasticity that caused some buckling and wrinkling when I glued it. I might re-do this purse with some different fabric.

*cats not necessary to complete this project.

Interesting Halloween Cocktail

2009-10-20T20:43:00.003-06:00

I recently heard about a seasonal ale-based cocktail I thought sounded interesting. Simply add a shot of vanilla vodka to a pumpkin ale and serve in a glass rimmed with brown sugar. In my case, I chose Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale from Blue Moon. My verdict? Well, I'm not a beer fan, so the brown sugar was my favorite part. That's not to say I found it terrible, and it's definitely a great way to use the remaining 5 bottles. I did put my Nosferatu beer glasses to good use.

Packing Tape Transfer

2009-10-19T20:34:00.005-06:00

I stumbled upon this tutorial for packing tape transfer votive holders. I love this idea and couldn't wait to try it out myself. I followed the directions by printing some images from The Graphics Fairy with a laser printer. Then, I covered the image with a piece of packing tape making sure to rub the image well with a burnishing tool (a craft stick or your fingernail will work too). Then, I soaked the image in warm water until the paper rubbed off easily. Finally, I just slapped it on my glass holders. I love the way they turned out! I can think of a million uses for this technique.

Halloween Cards

2009-10-18T19:30:00.004-06:00

Some people mail out Christmas cards to their family and friends. I mail Halloween cards. Here are a few I made this year.

Catzillas

2009-10-18T00:05:00.005-06:00

...destroy Halloween Village.

Halloween Costume - Last Minute Change

2009-10-15T11:58:00.003-06:00

Every year, my boss throws a Halloween costume party. I usually have a few year's worth of costume ideas floating around in the back of my mind and I usually always make or assemble our costume. We rarely do couple's costumes but last year I thought it would be fun to dress as Homer and Marge Simpson. I've been purchasing little things here and there to make the costumes and nearly had everything ready when my husband tells me last night he'd rather go as a different cartoon dad.

*sigh*

So, plans were scrapped and new costumes were ordered last night with rush shipping since the party is a little over a week away. It's the first time in a long time I'm not making my costume, but that's OK. I plan to add a few little things to make it my own.

For those who have the time and skill, these homemade costumes are great. I might have to steal the Death Becomes Her costume for next year.

In keeping with the costume theme, here's an adorable picture of my husband and his sister as the devil and angel. Some things never change.

Lost my Halloween Spirit

2009-10-12T19:25:00.003-06:00

This very un-fall-like weather we've been having is really getting me down. With snow on the ground for a week and daytime temps barely getting above 30 and nighttime temps in the single digits, my Halloween spirit has sure been in the dumps. I've only been able to light up my yard twice since I set up. I'm just going to have to light some fall-scented candles, sneak down into the craft dungeon and take advantage of some indoor time to get some Halloween crafts in the bag.
© 2009 Haunted Yard

New Face for Boris

2009-10-07T19:22:00.004-06:00

After 8 years of enduring fall weather in Wyoming, my Boris the Butler prop was showing some major wear and tear. It was time to replace the old, worn out face with something new.

Old Boris

New Boris

I love the new Boris, although I will miss the old face.

Haunt your Page!

2009-10-06T10:18:00.002-06:00

A few weeks ago someone asked me if I had a button for my blog so she could link to me. I finally figured it out and made one! You can haunt your page with the button to the right. If you link to me, let me know so I can return the favor!

© 2009 Haunted Yard

Finally October!

2009-10-05T10:26:00.005-06:00

Ok, so I'm a few days late in welcoming October. I spent Friday night and all day Saturday hauling, sorting, fixing, painting and setting-up the yard to avoid the big snow storm in the forecast. Luckily, I was able to get everything set up before the rain yesterday turned to big white flakes. I have to admit, the yard looks kind of cool covered in white.

More Halloween Jewelry

2009-09-30T20:41:00.006-06:00

I've listed sme more Halloween jewelry in my Etsy shop.

Garnet and Sterling Silver Skull Earrings

Gemstone Dangle Earrings in Halloween Colors

Wishbone Earrings in Halloween Colors

Smiling Halloween Skull Necklace

Halloween Shoes

2009-09-29T19:51:00.004-06:00

I apologize for the lack of updates lately. After the slowest summer on record at my job, we've finally started to see a dramatic increase in work, enough that I don't feel like turning on the computer when I get home. Mix that in with a trip to Denver for a gem and mineral show, making jewelry, and doing end-of-season yard work to get ready for Halloween decorating, and I'm not motivated to do much but kick my feet up and hang with my husband and the cats.

In what little spare time I've had, I've managed to make a few Halloween crafts including some really cute greeting cards (I'll be posting them soon), a felt cell phone and sunglasses holder to go along with a new coffin purse (I'll be posting a how-to as soon as I'm done with it) and some Halloween shoes.

I found some cute little black shoes on clearance ($4 each!) and went to town with acrylic paint pens. I'm excited to wear them this season to add a touch of the holiday to my everyday work outfits.

Spider Web Shoes

Halloween Swirls

Ghoulish Goodies - A Halloween Cookbook Review

2009-09-15T20:05:00.000-06:00

Those that know me know that I love to cook. Throw Halloween themed recipes in the mix, and I'm one happy witch! That's why I was so pleased to get my copy of Ghoulish Goodies by Sharon Bowers. With an eye catching cover, I was eager to find some yummy and spooky treats to make for and with my nieces and nephews.
The book has a nice collection of recipes and one recipe I was glad to see omitted was the kitty litter cake. I can't tell you how un-Halloween I think it is. In fact, the author shares my dislike in the introduction. I like that this book has a wide range of recipes including some nice fall-themed recipes mixed in with the creepy and spooky. I'm eager to try out the pumpkin seed brittle and the orange rice with bacon (pumpkin risotto). My nephew was impressed with the cup of worms recipe with chocolate pudding, crushed chocolate cookies and gummy worms. What is is with 7 year old boys and worms? The book also has great pictures and fun illustrations that make just flipping through the book fun.
Overall, I think this book is a great value and and fun for young and old alike. I can't wait to get cooking!

Happy Haunting!
© 2009 Haunted Yard

Halloween Jewelry

2009-09-08T19:49:00.002-06:00

I just posted some Halloween jewelry in my Etsy shop. I'll be listing more in the coming days and weeks.

Black Skull and Rutilated Quartz Necklace

Spider Web Necklace - Agate, pewter and sterling silver

Vampire Bite Sterling Silver and Glass Necklace

Blood Drop Earrings

Orange and Black - Onyx and Amber Earrings

Halloween Weddings

2009-08-15T22:28:00.007-06:00

When my husband and I were first engaged, he suggested we get married on Halloween and it took me a fraction of a second to shoot that idea down. Don't get me wrong; I love Halloween as much as the next ghoul, but having a wedding on Halloween meant that I would miss out on haunting my yard. I just didn't want to do it. Call me selfish. Besides, that meant that every year on our anniversary, I would be busy answering the door for trick-or-treaters. It's so much fun but it's not very romantic. So we did the next best thing and jetted off to Vegas to get married. Best. Idea. Ever.

Though we chose not to get married on the best day of the year, I still love to look at Halloween-themed wedding ideas. They are great resources for cool, elegant and creepy decorating ideas.

I love this idea or wrapping the table settings and centerpieces with spider webs.

I also love the skull theme and rhinestone accents from Hostess with the Mostess. Though I'm not a big fan of pink, it would be easy to customize the colors.

How cool would a mad scientist theme be for a wedding? As a scientist myself, this really appeals to me.

While browsing for Halloween weddings, I happened upon Creepy Cupcakes who happens to be planning her own Halloween wedding. She has a wonderful, creative blog with tons of spooky ideas. Congrats!

Halloween Casualty

2009-08-12T16:06:00.005-06:00

What happens when you cross a scaredy-cat scary cat

with a Halloween decoration

and a small, everyday household noise (in this case, my husband opening the door to the bedroom)?

She's lucky she's so cute.

Like I need another hobby...

2009-08-11T20:55:00.002-06:00

This website makes me want to break out my crochet hooks and try my hand (again) at learning to read a pattern.

How cool would it be to make this be for Halloween?

Or this?

Or maybe these?

*must learn to crochet*

Happy Haunting!

Creeping up

2009-08-10T19:15:00.003-06:00

I just finished a yummy dinner outside on the deck and I realized I won't be able to do that for much longer. The days will soon be shorter and the nights will have the perfect fall chill. My mind is already turning to this year's Halloween and I'm not the only one. I've begun my annual Halloween blog hunt. Every year starting around the end of July or the beginning of August, I scour the Internet looking for Halloween blogs and website to get ideas and inspirations for the year's haunt. Here are a couple that have caught my attention.

Love Manor -Perfectly creepy, wonderful pictures!
Real Spooky Place -A home haunter with tons of great ideas for fellow haunters.
Halloween Alchemy -Blog from a mixed media Halloween artist
Orange and Black -A fun Halloween blog

Happy Haunting!
© 2009 Haunted Yard

Classy Broad!

2009-05-04T21:37:00.003-06:00

This isn't Halloween related, but I thought I'd post it anyway. I opened my own etsy shop called Classy Broad Jewelry and I've also started a blog. I'm having a great time making the jewelry, and I find that being creative really relaxes me. I'm sure I'll have some Halloween-inspired pieces later this year!

© 2008 Haunted Yard

Halloween 08- The aftermath!

2008-11-01T22:07:00.020-06:00

Last night was so much fun! We had a record number of trick-or-treaters this year with 68 kids. All of them were brave enough to come to the door this year, and only one was scared to tears. She was quite little, but seemed to relax when I told her they were only "toys." The weather was perfect and most kids weren't even wearing coats which is unusual.

I have tons of pictures to post, so I'll keep this short!

Here are some pictures of the indoor decorations.

Mad Scientist Display

Village

"Gore"traits

Gargoyle Table (inspired by a tip from Britta in Eerie Elegance)

Haunted Wine Rack and Cabinet

Dining Table

Various decorations in the living/dining rooms

Bathroom Decorations

Outdoor Decorations

Family and Friends

© 2008 Haunted Yard

Halloween Parties!

2008-10-28T16:11:00.008-06:00

Last week I had two Halloween parties; one that I hosted for the girls at work and the annual costume party hosted by my boss. The "ghoul's" party was a cocktail happy hour at my house with drinks and nibbles. I served pumpkin martinis, Zombies and wine. The pumpkin martinis were something I just made up. Here's the recipe:

2 oz pumpkin infused vodka*
1 oz pumpkin pie spiced simple syrup**
1 oz half and half

Pour vodka, syrup and half & half in a martini shaker with ice. Shake and serve in beakers.
*The pumpkin vodka is 1/4 cup pumpkin puree mixed into a bottle of vanilla vodka.
**The simple syrup is made with 1 cup sugar, 2 cups water and 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice. Heat in a saucepan until sugar is dissolved.

Zombies are cocktail from the 1930's and are very strong, so I served them in test tubes. Here's the recipe I used:

1 part Dark Rum
1 part White Rum
1 part Spiced Rum
1/2 part Apricot Brandy
1 Dash Sugar Syrup
1/2 part Lime Juice
1/2 part Pineapple Juice

Finally, I served a red wine and a white wine with the bottle decorated with Martha Stewart labels.
Here's the drink table.

On Saturday, my boss hosted a costume party at his house. I went as Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren's character) from The Birds. I was coming down with a cold, so my nose is pretty red in this picture.

David went as a goth/emo. He's wearing my purple hair extensions and lost of black makeup.

Party shots:

I'm still trying to kick this cold before Halloween, so I'm off to take another nap.
© 2008 Haunted Yard

New Props-A Mummy and Coffin

2008-10-02T20:02:00.000-06:00

For years I've wanted a coffin with a corpse in it to tuck away into a corner of my yard. Every year, it seems like the project gets pushed back and I say to myself, "I'll do it next year."

Well, this year, I finally did it!

I started the project by corpsing a "Blucky" (cheap plastic skeleton found at most retailers).

There are numerous tutorials on how to make a corpse with a Blucky, so I browsed a couple of sites and decided to just wing it.

I started by cutting some of the plastic away from the ribs and limbs to make the skeleton look a little more realistic. I also swapped out his head with a Styrofoam skull. I thought the scale was better and it looked more realistic.

I wanted to make my Blucky look a little mummified, with just the skin left attached to his body, so for this corpse, I decided to use the following supplies:
latex floor adhesive
paper towels torn into small irregular pieces
Mod Podge
Minwax wood stain-Walnut

Working in a well ventilated area (the basement since it was raining outside) I applied a thin layer of latex followed by a few pieces of paper towel and another layer of latex. Here's a tip: when working with tacky substances such as latex floor adhesive, have a small pile of baby powder near by. I dipped my sticky fingers into the powder to keep them from sticking to everything else and each other.

After the latex was dry and no longer tacky to the touch, I aplied a generous layer of Mod Podge (matte finish). This gave the skin a much needed stiffness.

Once the Mod Podge was dry, I brushed on the wood stain and then wiped off any excess.

Once he was dry, I wrapped him in some torn pieces of coffee-dyed cheese cloth. He's now ready to find a home in his coffin!

The coffin is a basic toe-pincher shaped coffin. I found plans to make the coffin with a single 4X8 sheet of plywood here. Instead of using a sheet of plywood, I decided to use a sheet of Styrofoam bead board insulation. I wanted to be able to move and carry the coffin with ease!

Using a marker and straight edge, I drew my coffin pieces according to the plans. I used my jig saw to cut the pieces out. It's a little messy, but very quick! Once all the pieces were cut out, I used Duct tape to affix the sides to the base.

A quick coat of latex paint later, I secured the mummy into the coffin with zip ties. My porch just got a little spookier!

© 2008 Haunted Yard

Eerie Elegance Book Review

2008-09-30T21:42:00.002-06:00

I received my copy of Eerie Elegancea few weeks ago, and I've been meaning to write a review. Things have been busy, but I finally have a moment to write about it.

First, I am so happy that Britta had the opportunity to write a book. She has generously shared her Halloween ideas on her website and has always kindly answered the few emails I've sent her in the past. Now, her knowledge and creativity are right at my fingertips. I adore this book. There are ideas for everyone, from the novice to experienced haunter. There were many time while reading the book that I thought to myself, "What a great idea. I would have never thought to do it like that!" Her descriptions and instructions are well written and easy to follow. I've been inspired by many of her Halloween decorations and recipes over the years, and now that I have to book, I see many more years of inspiration to come. Thanks, Britta!

© 2008 Haunted Yard

Zombies

2008-09-22T12:00:00.003-06:00

I am a huge Penn & Teller fan. Naturally, I was very excited to find these two short films starring Teller that tell the story of survival after a zombie epidemic breaks out in Las Vegas. They are wonderfully done.

From Crackle: & Teller

From Crackle: & Teller 2

Awesome Halloween Books

2008-09-10T12:33:00.008-06:00

I stumbled upon this Halloween book how-to from Dave Lowe Designs. He also has some other pretty cool Halloween goodies, like this lab prop, but I needed some new books for my witch.

I wanted to make two books; one for spells and one for potions. I looked through a box of books intended for the thrift store and found two I thought would work.

I decided the book of potions would have a skull on it, so I sketched out a simplified skull on to a piece of cardboard and cut it out with my craft knife.

For the book of spells, I rummaged around in my scrapbook supplies and found a wooden bat and some tag holders to use for the labels.

Then, with some Mod Podge, I decoupaged some white paper towels over the shapes. Mod Podge is water proof, and that's good since I plan on having these on the porch.
After they were dry, I painted them and added these little scrapbook embellishments. Now, mine aren't nearly as cool as Dave Lowe's, but he's an artist and I'm a geologist, but I'm please with how they turned out!

© 2008 Haunted Yard

Eerie Elegance

2008-09-07T21:11:00.004-06:00

Several years ago, I stumbled upon a recipe for witch's finger cookies at Britta Peterson's website. I became a fan of her website, and loved reading about her Halloween and other themed parties.

So, I was thrilled to find an announcement in my inbox this evening for Britta's first Halloween book, Eerie Elegance.

I've already placed my order, of course. The book is for sale here and will also be available through Amazon soon. Be sure to check out the website for more information. Oh, I love the blinking eyes on the "Beware the Brocade" background!

I've found tons of inspiration from Britta, so I wish her the best of luck with her book.

As for my progress this weekend, I began corpsing (I like to verb nouns!) a blow mold plastic skeleton (also known as a Blucky). I'll have pictures soon!
© 2008 Haunted Yard

Halloween is in the air!

2008-09-03T10:04:00.012-06:00

Labor Day weekend is always the opening of the Halloween season for me. Granted, I've been devouring any and all fall catalogs that land in my mailbox and I've been shopping online (which I'll be writing about later) and jotting down ideas all summer, but I don't actually start any project until Labor Day weekend. Except this Labor Day weekend, that it. The weather was cool and rainy, which I love, but didn't allow me to work on projects outside like I had hoped.

Since I was stuck in the house, I ventured downstairs (where there are real-life spiders! EEK!) and began sorting boxes of indoor decorations. I took inventory and set aside those items that needed some repair or re-working. Of course, the cats had to inspect what I was doing.

I also decided to make some Halloween jewelry for myself this year. I've been having too much fun shopping on Etsy for supplies. Recently, I bought some amazing lampwork beads from Glasstastic Treasures. Not only is the craftsmanship amazing, but the artist, Jamie, is very sweet and personable.
I love these beads so much. I must have taken them out a dozen times only to put them away because I wasn't sure what to do with them. I finally decided that simple is better since I really wanted to showcase the beads. This is what I made with her amazing beads:

"Boil, boil, toil & trouble..."
Witch's cauldron bead on sterling silver chain accented with peridot and black glass beads.

"Eye See You"
Eyeball beads with red glass briolettes and blue Swarovski crystals.

"Like my manicure?"
Monster fingers on hand-formed ear wires.

I also made this cute little pendant from a witchy pin-up image on Shrinky-Dinks. Remember those? I've been having so much fun with them lately!

"If the broom fits..."
Shrinky-Dink pendant with citrine drop and black glass.

And finally, I made this pendant, which prompted my husband to call me a "spider hypocrite."

"Caught in a Web"
Fire agate and pewter spider charm.

The weeks ahead will be busy getting ready for October. I don't have many big projects planned, but I have many small ideas swimming around in my head. I just hope I have time for it all!

Happy haunting!

© 2008 Haunted Yard

Another Halloween Come and Gone

2007-10-31T21:45:00.000-06:00

I just turned out the porch light on another Halloween. I had great plans to update the blog more often, but with the big move to a new office building this month, work seemed to take up much of my time. The move also meant there was no time for a company Halloween party. That didn't stop me from making Britta's witch's finger cookies.

I served them on my severed finger platter from etsy seller, foldedpigs.

These cookies are always a hit at work, and this year was no different. The cookies were all devoured by the end of the day.

After work, I rushed home to get the final touches on my decorations. I made sure \ all the lights were dimmed and the candles lit. I filled the potion bottles with "potions" made from hightlighter- tinted water and turned on the black lights. I think the witch's kitchen looks pretty good!

The rest of the dining room and living room were also decorated, candles were lit and lights were dimmed.

My Lemax Spooky Town got downsized this year since the only space available wouldn't accommodate a larger table. I think next year, I may try to rearrange some furniture so I can display everything.

The pumpkins were put out and I took some final pictures outside before the trick-or-treaters arrived.

We didn't have many kids this year. In fact, I was afraid we would only have family since we didn't have any kids until well after 7. In total, we had 33 neighborhood kids plus 8 nieces, nephews and friends.

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Hauntingly yours,
Amy
© 2007 Haunted Yard

It's Fianlly October!

2007-10-05T10:58:00.001-06:00

Where did September go? Most of my weekends this past month were spent Halloween shopping and putting the final touches on 4 new tombstone. Since I now have a bigger front yard, I was able to up the tombstone count to a perfect 13! I wish I had the time to plan and build more props, but I kind of wanted to see how my existing stuff fit in the new yard and plan any additions for next year. The final weekend in September was spent setting up the yard.

There are a million "how-to" websites for making tombstones on the web, and mine is really no different. I've made all my tombstones from Styrofoam insulation, cut to shape with epitaphs "carved" with a Dremel. Since most of my previous tombstones were kind of silly and heavy on the puns, the four new ones were in the same vein. The new additions are:

Roland Stone -Gathering No Moss

Lee Ning:

Abbie Normal

Rick R. Mortis

The remaining tombstones from years past are:

Marcus the Carcass --the first tombstone I made to go with the Marcus ground breaker...who still lights up my yard after all these years!

Tom Thumb --the smallest tombstone at only 8 inches tall!

Clair Voyant --you wouldn't believe how many people I've had to explain this one to!

Les Moore --my abbreviated version of the real Lester Moore marker in Tombstone, AZ.

Johnny Yeast

Dracula

Frank N. Stein

Otta B. Alive

The Tin Man

Another new addition to the yard was a cemetery fence. I toyed with the idea of building one from 1X2 and PVC, so I made a trip to the local Home Depot to price materials. In the garden center, I found a 30" high Gothic-style iron fence. The price of the fencing cost me only $7 more than the materials to build one. It was an easy decision! I love the way it looks and it really adds a cool element to the yard.

The rest of the yard:

Even the trees have spooky eyes!

The porch:

My husband says I am a spider hypocrite. I hate and fear them when they are real, but don't mind them if they are for decoration!

Boris, the witch, new pillars and some ghosts:

Coming next: Decorations on the inside!

© 2007 Haunted Yard

Bubbling Cauldron

2007-08-26T20:47:00.000-06:00

Last year, I used to post quite frequently at Ghost Droppings. A user by the name of ScreamQueen posted her instructions for making a boiling cauldron. I decided that I needed a new centerpiece for the dining room since I sort of have plans to turn the kitchen/dining area into a witch's kitchen this year.

This project was made with cauldron, spray foam insulation, craft paint, recycled newspapers and a collection of creepy items perfect for a witch's brew. Luckily, with the exception of the foam insulation, I had every thing else on hand.

I stuffed the cauldron with crumpled newspapers.

Then, I sprayed the foam insulation on top of the newspapers, making sure some "spilled" over the side to make it look like the goo was boiling over.

Before adding the creepy ingredients, I let the foam set up for about 20 minutes so that it could support the weight of the bugs, but was still tacky enough to glue them in place.

After curing for 3 hours, I painted the foam a nice, slimy green color.

I think this will make a great centerpiece this year!
© 2007 Haunted Yard

First Purchase of the Halloween Season

2007-08-23T21:05:00.001-06:00

I made my first official purchases of the Halloween season today. Last year, I got a very early start and purchased from many websites beginning in June, only to find out later than many of the items were sold at the stores for much less than I had paid for them online. This year, I decided to wait until I actually saw Halloween items in the stores before making any purchases. So today, at the big mega-retailer, I found some cool Boris mad scientist flasks filled with bubble solution, a body part and a severed finger bubble wand.

Surprisingly, I found them in the summer clearance, but I will be incorporating them into the mad scientist display after the nieces and nephews use up all the bubbles.

I've also been wanting a black cat for the witch I made last year. I was too late to find anything worth buying last year, so when I saw this black cat today, I decided he needed to come home with me.

Vegas couldn't resist having her picture taken with the newest cat in the house.

Lucky was willing to share.

Sweet Pea was curious, and a little wary that we had brought *another* cat into the house, until she realized it wasn't real. Then she displayed her typical cat aloofness.

My final purchase today is a Heads-up-Harry. I had first seen a nearly life-sized version of him here, but the one I found is just the upper body portion.

I liked the half-sized version much better since I could display him in more setting at the smaller size. I think I might put him in the front flower bed on Halloween night. We'll have to see what the weather is like.

Here he is in action.

© 2007 Haunted Yard

Coffin Purse

2007-08-15T12:42:00.001-06:00

A few years ago, I wanted a fun coffin purse to carry around for the month of October. I googled around for some coffin purse patterns, but everything was either too small, or not sturdy enough for me. So, I designed and made my own. I sketched out a simple toe-pincher coffin in the size I wanted my purse to be. I transferred the sketch to 1/8" black foam board. I decided to make my purse about four inches deep with a 1 inch hinged lid. I cut out the lid and sides to match and glued the whole thing together with a little hot glue. I wasn't too worried about making the edges clean because I was covering the whole thing in a very cool black fabric that looked like tooled leather. I added an handle, some brass hinges and a little dagger to keep the whole thing closed, and my purse was complete.

I get tons of compliments on it, but for the past two years, I've been carrying around my coffin with my regular checkbook and wallet, and this year I wanted something a little more seasonal for the purse. Enter my new shopping obsession...ETSY! Etsy is an online shop for all things handmade. A quick search for "Halloween" found these adorable little mini-wallets from Carol, aka quiltlady50:

Monster Eyes Mini-Wallet
Dancing Skeleton Mini-Wallets

Carol and I began corresponding, and she graciously agreed to make me a custom checkbook cover wallet for the coffin purse. She showed me her Halloween fabrics and I chose the fabric I wanted for each. The results were better than I could have imagined! This year I will be proudly showing off my coffin purse with very cool and unique Halloween themed accessories.

If you have a chance, be sure to check out the rest of Carol's Halloween themed items (and more!) in her shop at Etsy.

All Settled/2006 Re-Cap

2007-07-23T22:21:00.000-06:00

It's been a busy spring/summer with our recent move, but we are finally unpacked and settled in nicely. Of course, now I have a brand new house for this coming Halloween. I have so many ideas, and I just know that I won't even begin to get them all accomplished this year. I guess I have a few years to get them done.

Of course, now that the weather is BLAZING, I am gearing up for this season. The Halloween catalogs are already starting to trickle in, and I am excited to get started. But, before I get into this year's plans, I'm going to get caught up from last year.

As part of my mad scientist corner, I added "potions" to the test tubes, which were a spice rack found at a thrift store. I experimented with a few different mixes to see what worked best under a black light.

From left to right: The first three are green, orange and blue glow-in-the-dark tempura paints mixed with water, the next is water with a little Tide, tonic water and the final tube is colored with yellow highlighter. I wish they had glowed with a little more variety of color, but I was please overall.

Our boss also held his annual Halloween party. I'm expected to bring something creepy, but delicious. In years past, I've made abnormal brain dip, which is just a shrimp spread colored grey and piped into the shape of a brain.

This past year, I decided to up the gross factor. I first covered a skull with Glad Press and Seal. I spread a thin layer of cream cheese over the wrapped skull. Next, I layered on prosciutto and added mozzarella ball and kalamata olive eyes. The result was a very gruesome but tasty, appetizer. It was a HUGE hit!

Of course, I was also required to bring my witch's finger cookies from Britt.com

The party, of course, was costume party. I pulled out a bride's maid dress from my cousin's wedding, donned a blond wig and Miss Piggy was ready to party!

Halloween night was FREEZING cold, but the house was fully lit and ready for trick-or-treaters.

Unfortunately, the weather made for a slow night. We probably hs around 30 kids as opposed to the 75-100 the year before. Most of the kids were nieces, nephews and friends who love to walk around the graveyard at night.

All in all, it was a great Halloween, and I am ready for this year!
Happy Haunting!
© 2006 Haunted Yard

Yeesh!

2007-04-03T10:05:00.000-06:00

It has been too long since I updated this thing! Yikes! I haven't even posted my 06 pictures. The time between Halloween and the end of the year is always busy. This January we were presented with an opportunity to buy a house we've had our eye on for a few years. So, we've been busy buying a house and planning a move, but I hope to find some time soon to do a proper update.
Best witches!
© 2006 Haunted Yard

Classic Movies

2006-10-23T11:59:00.000-06:00

I must admit, I am a sucker for old horror movies, especially the Universal Monster movies.

This weekend I was able to see one of the cheesiest, corniest, and yes, one of my favorite movies featuring three of Universal's Monsters. Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein was the first of many encounters Abbot and Costello have with other Universal monsters, but in my opinion, the best.
A plot summary from IMDB:

The world of freight handlers Wilbur Grey and Chick Young is turned upside down when the remains of Frankenstein's monster and Dracula arrive from Europe to be used in a house of horrors. Dracula awakens and escapes with the weakened monster, who he plans to re-energize with a new brain. Larry Talbot (the Wolfman) arrives from London in an attempt to thwart Dracula. Dracula's reluctant aide is the beautiful Dr. Sandra Mornay. Her reluctance is dispatched by Dracula's bite. Dracula and Sandra abduct Wilbur for his brain and recharge the monster in preparation for the operation. Chick and Talbot attempt to find and free Wilbur, but when the full moon rises all hell breaks loose with the Wolfman, Dracula, and Frankenstein all running rampant.

Definitley try to catch this movie on some of the calssic movie channels if you can. I know my Halloween season isn't complete without it!

© 2006 Haunted Yard

Halloween Weekend-Continued

2006-10-05T11:10:00.000-06:00

Saturday was spent helping my mom set up her yard haunt in the morning, and the afternoon was spent doing some much needed repairs on some existing props.

Boris the Butler got a little latex repair to his face with some liquid latex and old pantyhose. He's looking as handsome as usual:

My haunted tree also got a fresh coast of Monster Mud:

Before:

After:

Sunday, I set up my yard with the help of my mom.
Two new additions to my yard are simple T-frame props made with 2x4 ands PVC pipe.
Grim was made with the addition of a chicken wire ribcage, a foam skull, some hands from Anatomical Chart Company and a robe made from black sheets and pillowcases from the clearance aisle at Wal-Mart.

The witch, I've affectionately named Elfaba from the book Wicked, was made with a wig form with a little paper mache face,

hands from a pair of store-bought monster hands I painted to match:

and an old costume from a few years ago. I taped her hands to the stir-stick using mounting tape. The cauldron is spilling over with cotton batting and the sticks and vines are woven with orange lights to resemble fire. I really wish I would have been able to find a turn table to make her animated, but that will just have to be a project for next year.

Design Toscano had the coolest year swimmer this year, and I couldn't resist!

I'll continue to post pictures from the yard as the leaves start to change and the holiday draws near.

Happy haunting!

© 2006 Haunted Yard

October Already?

2006-10-05T10:44:00.000-06:00

I wanted to post an update about my October 1st Halloween set-up, but it was a busy weekend followed by a nasty cold, and it didn't get done as soon as I had hoped.
I'll just jump right into it, then!
I spent most of Friday putting up the faux-stone walls in the entryway. I also set up my mad scientist/apothecary corner.

Also in the entryway, I set up my Lemax Spooky Town, complete with the new background I painted this year.

I also set up a fortune teller's table:

The dining room saw the addition of a zombie bride and groom:

and the living room was similarly haunted:

© 2006 Haunted Yard

Setting a Spooky Table

2006-09-21T11:20:00.000-06:00

A spooky tablescape can set the perfect mood when entertaining. Whether you plan an eerily elegant dinner or a fun costume party for kids or "groan"-ups, these ideas are sure to be a hit.

There are a wide variety of Halloween-themed tablecloths on the market, but most are the vinyl variety and too cutesy for my taste. One of my favorite table cloths came from having some extra cheese cloth around the house.

I started with a piece of cheese cloth just big enough to fit on my table. I brewed some strong coffee (tea works as well) and soaked the cheese cloth in the brew. I let the cloth dry for a few hours and then make random cuts and tears to simulate old, decayed thread-bare fabric. The table cloth looks nice over a dark colored under-cloth.

These coffin-shaped utensil holders add a perfect haunted feel to the table. You can use them for silverware if you are serving food to your guest’s buffet-style, but they also make great boxes for party favors.

There are a million different centerpieces for a Halloween table, but nothing set the mood for me like candles. Illuminations has a nice selection of Halloween and fall themed candles and accessories. Two of my favorites this year are the Spooky Candelabra,

and the Floating Skull Centerpiece,

No party would be complete without the food! For the largest collection of Halloween recipes I've some across online, be sure to check out Halloween Food Group on Yahoo Groups. Also, Martha Stewart has a great collection of drink recipes for all ages. Last year, I opted to buy Vampire Wine from Vampire Vineyards. While I didn't love this wine, it was a fun wine to have for Halloween, and I saved the bottles for decorating this year.

Happy haunting!
© 2006 Haunted Yard

More Halloween Goodness

2006-09-08T14:35:00.000-06:00

While shopping the other day at an unnamed retail giant, I came across this:

Waves of excitement washed over me, and I think the sound that may have come out of my mouth was "SQUEEE!"
I loved Roseanne's Halloween episodes, and looked forward every year to watching them in syndication. I am so excited to be able to watch them whenever the haunting mood may strike!

© 2006 Haunted Yard

Weekend Projects

2006-08-08T14:28:00.000-06:00

This past weekend, I went shopping at what our local community calls "Crazy Days." All the local business have huge sidewalk sales, and there are all kinds of goodies to be found, especially when I am in the Halloween mindset.

I found a very cute cat chinea that I thought was really cool, but he lacked the Halloween flair!

I gave it a good coat of black spray paint and transformed it into a Halloween cat. I love the contrast between terra cotta color on the inside, and the new coat of black paint. Much more Haloween-ish!

I also found a very country-looking decoration that had been damaged. I'm actually not sure what it was supposed to be (bird house, maybe?), but I got a great deal on it since the rooster weather vein on the top was broken and the hinged door was loose.

I love the gothic elements to on the piece, so I decided to give it a coat of fleckstone paint and add some gargoyles to it. I think it will make a nice candle holder that I will probably leave out year-round.

The last project I worked on this weekend was a skull chadelier. I started with a candle plate, a chain plant holder, 3 votive holders and 3 little skulls that I aged with brown paint. I think it turned out pretty well. I'll hang it in the entryway this Halloween.

© 2006 Haunted Yard

Wicked Witch of Wyoming?

2006-08-08T14:08:00.000-06:00

During my daily obsessive search for new prop ideas, I came across this witch from the Brewster Yard Haunt website.

I really love this witch, and think that the plans look wickedly simple, and the results are wickedly effective!

While I think animatronics and animated props are very cool, especially if they are homemade, I just don't have the skill to make some of the animated props I see online. I'm a geologist; a rock-nerd, not an electrical engineer. But this witch, being run by an old turntable, well, that's right up my alley.

So, this weekend, I think I will begin gathering the supplies needed to build my very own cauldron-stirring witch. I'll hit the thrift stores and yard sales for an old turntable, and if that fails, I'm sure dear old dad has one stashed in his garage.

The only thing I will need to brainstorm is how to make this weather proof. Wyoming's weather is unpredictable, especially in late October. I'll need to make something that will hold up to any potential snow or inclement weather we may get.

Of course, I'll be updating the blog with my progress on this very cool prop, so stay tuned!

© 2006 Haunted Yard

Birth of Boris!

2006-07-30T19:01:00.000-06:00

I love to craft, and one of my favorite Halloween craft books is Halloween Crafts: Eerily Elegant Decor written by Kasey Rogers (Louis Tate from the TV show Bewitched). In this book, she gives ideas for decorating your home for Halloween in pretty unique and innovative ways. There are gourd crafts, recipes, clip art and invitations, and simple, yet effectively, haunting props.

This book was the inspiration for my Butler prop. In the book, they name their butler Gravely, but I thought Boris was a much better name for mine.

The prop was easy, and inexpensive to make. I used some lumber my pack-rat dad had lying around, an old man mask, a suit and shoes purchased from a thrift store, dollar store accessories, old pantyhose, and a bag of shredded paper.

I first built a frame by cutting a 2X4 to the shoulder height I wanted my butler. I screwed four pieces of 2X4 cut to 18" lengths at right angles to the bottom of the larger piece to make a stand. This is the time you want to put his pants on! If you finish building the frame, there is no way to dress him. I slid one leg of the pants over the frame. Then, I stuffed an old pair of panty hose with shredded paper and used good-old duct tape to attach the panty hose to the frame. Boris now had "hips" on which his pants could stay up!

I screwed another 18" piece of wood to the top of the frame to make his shoulders, creating a T-shaped frame. Using flat brackets, I attached the piece of wood to the T-frame for his arm. Since I wanted him to be holding a tray, I screwed another piece of wood at a right angle to his upper arm. His other arm would hang at his side, so there was no reason to make an additional arm.

An old wire coat hanger was shaped into fingers which were glued into hole drilled into the arm. I used another pari of panty hosestuffed with paper to fill out his arms, and used the panty portion of the hose to stuff a head shape. I attached his arms and head to the shoulders with a staple gun.

Before dressing him, I gave him a slight hunch-back by stuffing a few plastic grocery sacks and taping them to his shoulders. I dressed him in a pin striped thrift store suit with a bow tie. I put some gloves on his wire fingers, stapled an aluminum tray from the dollar store to his arm, and added his mask.

His eyes were made from styrofoam craft balls that I painted. They are a bit larger than the mask holes, but look really cool kind of bugged out.

Boris is by far one of my favorite props. He's so lifelike, that he's startled many people; myself included!

© 2006 Haunted Yard

Welcome!

2006-07-24T14:31:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my little haunted corner of the blogsphere.

The Haunted Yard will be a one-stop blog for the Halloween enthusiast: from the seasoned yard haunter to the novice Halloween decorator, there will be something for everyone.

I'll bring you tips to turn your home and yard into a zombie's paradise. I'll show you my favorite books, websites, crafts, and prop resources as well as show you some my own evil creations. Need a creepy recipe to gross out your party guests or trick-or-treaters? I'll have that! Need a great costume idea? No problem!

So welcome, and prepare for a scare!

© 2006 Haunted Yard