Halloween décor

Friendly hovering ghost

2006-10-09T08:05:00.000-07:00

Halloween décor is known for two main prop, Pumpkin and the ghost. I had always wanted to add one to my home made arsenal, but could not figure out how; until last Saturday.

We had gone out for lunch and the kids got each a balloon from the restaurant. One thing about balloons they float around in the car and obstruct the rear view mirror. So we put them in the trunk on our way home. We also made a stop at the dry cleaner to make a pick up, which also went in the truck.

Some how the balloons and my shirt got all tangle. When I opened the trunk, my shit was floating in mid air. That’s what gave me the idea.

Here is what you will need for this project:
- Balloons (white )
- light hankers, preferably white
- old light white sheets
- fishing line
- wooden stakes
- black paint
Optional:
- Black markers
- Glow stick

Preparation:
Have the balloons inflated with helium. You can do it yourself or have it done at one of those party stores.
Paint the wood stakes black,. With a sharp knife make a little notch.
Place stakes in the yard where you would like the ghost to be.

Making the ghost:
Have one hanger for each balloon. Holding the hanger by the hook pointing at the ground, give it a gentle tug, enough to deform it in the center.
Tie a balloon to that point. Tie a piece of fishing line of about a yard to the hook of the hanger. Temporarily secure to a sturdy object. Fold the sheet in half then in half again. Hold the sheet by the middle corner, and cover the balloon with it.
Here you have it a hovering ghost.
Finish if you desire by tracing the eyes and moth with black marker.

Take the ghosts outside and secure to the stakes. If you make more than one you could have them at different level by adjusting the length of the line. In the dark, even during the day the fishing line would be invisible, thus crating the illusion of them floating in mid air. They will be gently swaying with every puff of the wing making them more lively.

Tying a glow stick to hanger under the balloon will give your ghost an inner glow.
Judicious placing of the ghost in the vicinity of a black light will heighten the effect.

Use your imagination and let the ghosts hover!

Retro Halloween décor

2006-10-08T08:31:00.000-07:00

My mother in law always talk about the old days when her older siblings would spent weeks before Halloween preparing for the events. She said that they would make their own Halloween décor, specially the lanterns. However, she could not remember how they did it as she was quite young at the time.

After doing some research I found out that during the 1920 to 1930 era, people would make the Halloween lantern with papier-mache. That was all I could find out. Then one day, my eldest came home with a smiley head they had made in her kindergarten room.

That gave me the idea to try creating a vintage lantern.

Here is a list of material you will need to create them:
- round balloons of different sizesnewspaperwhite glue or wallpaper paste, or home made
- starch gluegesso acrylic or poster paint - various colors permanent markers - black and pastel colors
- Thin chipboard tea light candles or small battery lights
- Craft knife or scissors
- Paintbrushes
Optional:
- papier-mache
- Tracing paper

Get the children involved. Place an old sheet or table cloth on the table as thing can get messy.
Prepare the newspaper by cutting or tearing them into long thin strips.

Blow the balloons to the desired size.
Generously coat the newspaper with glue and apply crisscross to the balloons until the whole surface is covered. Apply about two to three layers of paper. Allow to dry.
If you want textures or features then you will need to apply the papier-mache to the balloons to create what ever you like. Allow to dry.

Puncture the balloon through the layers of glued papaer using a craft knife or scissors. Cut out an opening at the top of the balloon. At his point if you are using candles the opening should be wide enough to prevent the flame from touching the rim.. Remove the balloon. Coat the shell inside and out with gesso and allow to dry

Draw on facial features such as eyes, nose and mouth with a pencil. Use the craft knife to cut out features.

Paint the outside of the shell . Use your imagination to embellish with desired detail and color. Paint the inside of the shell in a dark contrasting color, I prefer black.
If you want, you can add additional features such as eye. Use the tracing paper and colored with permanent markers. Accent with a black marker. Cut out details and glue in place on the inside of the lantern.
For table display a base made out of solid board is recommended. Appling Gesso and painting the base will add to the décor. Then glue the lantern on top.

You can also make hanging lanterns, a couple of small holes near the top and some thin wire threaded through will create a handle. Adjust for height.

Finish with a final touch of artificial leaves or other ornament. Place the tea candles or battery lights inside.

Voila! You have an antique Halloween décor that will make your grandmother proud.

Again a when using candles exert extreme caution. Do not place on any wooden furniture or surface. Do not leave unattended, place away from small children reach and put out before retiring to bed.

Have fun making those retro lanterns.

Winning the pumpkin carving contest.

2006-10-08T07:53:00.000-07:00

No Halloween décor is complete without a carved pumpkin. It is even more fun when the children get involved. I remember the first Halloween when my eldest could help. We were on vacation visiting relatives at the time. The family has decided to get together at grandma’s house and have a pumpkin carving contest. We went to the craft store and pick some stencils and carving tools.

I let my eldest pick one thinking I will get an easy one.
Guess what? I ended up with the more complex of the whole group.
It was a witch flying on a broom over the steeple of a church.

Back at the house the kids had a blast digging out seed. The exclamation at the time would need about two pages to describe. Any way once the Pumpkins were hollowed the actual carving has to be done. So it was “daddy’s turn to get dirty” to use their expression.
I spent the next 3 hours cutting, scraping and digging. I was the only one left at the end.

By the time I was done it was already dark. But that was worthwhile time spent. Not because we won the contest. But for the sheer joy of looking at the delightful expression on my daughter’s face.

So “get dirty” this Halloween and carve some pumpkins for some old fashion décor and joy.

High tech décor!

2006-10-07T07:32:00.000-07:00

Walking in the neighborhood last year with the kids going trick or treat it occurs to me that more and more people are using what I will call new décor compare to the traditional one.

Some very popular ones were:
The lighted ghost, basically an outer part of printed nylon shell with various designs such as cat and bat, and an inner frame with clear mini-lights that give the illusion of glowing.
Illuminated, Inflatable Graveyard Scene. This one is quite a handy one as this nylon display will quickly put some spirit in any front or back yard at a flick of a switch
Then there was the nylon jack O’lantern inflatable ranging from giant one to decent size one.

They are all beautiful safe and easy to install however the essence of Halloween seam to have been taken away.

Black light Magic

2006-10-07T07:09:00.000-07:00

Last summer we took the children to Disney. As expected they wanted to try the scary rides. So we headed to the tower of horror. What better place to start a day full of thrill! As we lined up and before the ride you are put in the “mood”. There I noticed how judiciously they use the décor and black light to create the effect. That gave me an idea for a Halloween home décor.

I borrowed a black light from my neighbor and star experimenting.

You would be surprised to find out the various items around the house that will glow or change color under the black light. The obvious ones are any thing with white cotton will emit powerful white light. Then fluorescent highlighter and markers will glow. Everyday items found around the house such as laundry detergent, shampoo will glow or change color under black light. The most unusual effect I noticed was makeup; some of them actually change color.

So if you are looking for a spooky inexpensive décor, all you have to do is look around the house. The only thing that you may have to purchase is one or more black light that will fit in the regular light socket.

Experiment, and let your imagination go wild. Nothing can go wrong it’s Halloween.

Trick or treat…

2006-10-06T08:14:00.000-07:00

The other night my eldest fall off the cough laughing…

We were watching funniest home video and they were showing those animated Halloween décor and how people would react to it.
There was a bunch of those body parts popping everywhere, from the refrigerator, the pot on the stove even the toilet.
We all had a good laugh and end up discussing how we think we would react in similar situation. I have to admit some of the pranksters had to be really creative to stage some of those.

Actually the best part of the whole show was when the prankster got a taste of “Trick or Treat”

Here is what happens:
There is this guy who is dressed up as a scarecrow and is sitting on the front porch. He is there still until some come and ring the door bell at that point, he jump up and scare that person.
He is quite successful at it until this time a man, a rather big one, accompanying his child to the house.
Again as the door bell ring the scarecrow jump this time instead of being startled the visitor throw in a couple of jabs as he back up.

I think that was a real trick or treat in a devious sense.

It cost money to spook

2006-10-06T07:44:00.000-07:00

Halloween is not much fun without the scary décor, especially with the young ones. I have noticed that thing get gorier as the children ages.

At my house thing are still low key. We tend to gear toward the “spooky” spiders and cobwebs etc. as my kids are still young.

I know one guy in the neighborhood that went all out last Halloween. He had corps body parts, sound effect, the whole nine yard.
Though it was a gory scene it was interesting to see the creativity in some of the display.

However, when I went to check in a Halloween décor store, I found out that there was quite an investment involved. One of the corpse display cost about $150.00

What do you think about expensive Halloween décor?
I would like to get your opinion leave your comments here.

Some other sites to expand your joy

2006-10-05T08:33:00.000-07:00

Other Halloween resources I have stumble upon since last time

http://halloween-ecards.blogspot.com – Blog about free Halloween e-cards

http://halloweencostumesfordogs.bestinfofind.com -Blog about Halloween costumes for dogs

http://halloween-eyes.blogspot.com/ - Blog about silly contact lenses!

Pumpkin delight part deux!

2006-10-05T07:58:00.000-07:00

I’m back. It was the mail man delivering a box I wonder what it is. It’s for the girls and it is from grandma…
Back to our Halloween décor of 2 years ago.

This décor can also be used as a center piece. We decided to use it on our mantel because of the young age of our kids.

A word of caution since we are using lighted candles the display should not be left unattended and always put out before going to bed. Flammable items like paper or dry hay should not be used. Basically be safety conscious and use your common sense.

Things you will need.

- Miniature pumpkins (at least 12 to make two candle holder of different level)
- Little orange candle about 1 inch or more in diameter
- Some fruit shape candles
- Decorative dried corns
- grapevine wreath - length vary depending on project
- 2 large branches of artificial leaves in fall colors
- Wire cutters (to cut the leaves off the stems)
- A flatten cardboard box
- Markers and other decorating supply
- Sharp peering knife or pocket knife
- A plastic table cloth, open trash bag or old sheet
- Some fishing line
- Lots of imaginations
Optional
- Glue gun

Place the plastic table cloth or sheet on your table, then flatten the cardboard box and lay it over. All cutting will be done on the box to safeguard the finish of your table.

Start with decorating the pumpkins; get the kids involved it will be more enjoyable if the whole family get involved.

Then decorate the mantel with the wreath. Wrapped it around the mantel and secure using some fishing line(depending on the material the mantel is made of) - I found out that a few 3M hooks with quick release backing works well on most surfaces.- Next Cut the leaves off the branches, leaving about 4" ( 10 cm) of stem on each set of leaves. Carefully tuck the stems of leaves into the grapevine wreath, carefully concealing the stems into the wreath.

Next stack the pumpkins. Make sure to gat a sturdy base so that the do not fall over. An example of a 3 tier one will be four for the base, next 3 and then one at the top. The top pumpkin will be hollowed at the stem. This is going to be the candle holder. Try to cut the opening large enough to hold the candles securely. You could use the glue gun to hold the pumpkins together. This option will give a more sturdy construction.

Then use your imagination to arrange the other candles and accessories to create a pleasant display. Then at night enjoy the nice smell and atmosphere by reading some Halloween stories or share some fall poetry with the family.

A variation of this would be to use the same idea as a center piece on the dinning table or other area in the house

Till next post, happy décor!

Pumpkins delight!

2006-10-05T07:29:00.000-07:00

I was talking with my family last evening at dinner and the subject of Halloween décor was one more time going around the table.
We started reminiscing and remembered how about 2 years our daughters had a very unusual pumpkin picking.

That year our daughters, thought of different ages, managed to go pumpkin picking with the school at the same time and on the same bus.
That afternoon both of them came home all beaming saying that they had the record “pumpkin pick” of the school and that they could not carry it on the school bus with them.
I took the car and went to the school expecting to find a huge pumpkin. They were quite evasive and I try to prompt them with more information on the way to the school.

Imagine my surprise when I walk into the school’s office to find two big brown bags full of miniature pumpkins. The school secretary said that it was the first time that any pupil had picked miniatures one instead of the regular ones. She said the kids usually go for the big ones and the teachers and chaperons has to coheres them I picking one small enough for them to be able to carry.

Those are my girls always trying to be different…!

Back home we brainstorm and come up with a nice décor idea for our mantel in the living room.
We stack the pumpkins in pyramid shape of different height, and then hollowed the top one in which we place an orange candle.

My wife found some fruit shape candles at the craft store and we mix them with the pumpkins to create a very bountiful autumn and Halloween display.
The girls had a wonderful time decorating the pumpkins using color and black markers.
We also used some dry corn and dry leaves wreath to give the final touch.

The best part of it was at night when the décor come alive and the fragrance of the candles enrobe the room with a delightful fruity smell.Some body is at the door.

I’ll post the material required to make the display in a later post......

Some related sites

2006-10-04T11:33:00.000-07:00

I discovered several related Halloween blogs, they are quite interesting. Thought you may enjoy them too.

http://halloweendecorating.blogspot.com A blog about how to decorate for example your office etc.

http://halloweenfoodfun.blogspot.com A blog about fun Halloween food ideas

http://halloweencraftsandprojects.blogspot.com/ A blog with more ideas for your Halloween projects or crafts

Hope you enjoy them!

They are trying to spooked me!

2006-10-04T11:06:00.000-07:00

The scary décor idea is going full swing now. I have discovered cut out ghost, dangling spiders and creepy bats and black cats all over the house.

I guess the children have really been busy while I was sleeping.

There was a bat in my house shoe, a spider in the downstairs bathroom, a ghost in the kitchen on the refrigerator, a couple of bats taped to the banister and a black cat on my computer.

I’ll let you know if I discoverer any more frightening creatures.

Scary Front door!

2006-10-04T10:33:00.000-07:00

I guess my Halloween project had rubbed on the family as they had got an earful about my “Big Decor Project” for this Halloween at the dinner table the other night.

Yesterday I had to go to work at night, making my way to the door; I open the alarm pad and felt something in my hand. Not knowing what it was I quickly turned on the light an there it was a cutout paper spider and its dangling silk stuffed in the pad.
Cute move I thought and left for work with a smile on the face.
On my way in this morning I saw a big sign posted on the front door:

Who dares disturb
The Adams family

The sign had a couple of big black spiders and their wed strategically put around to create the desired effect.

Well it looks like that we are on the right tract for some scary Halloween décor this year.

A different take

2006-10-03T11:11:00.000-07:00

The other day I was cleaning my garage and my seven years old daughter offer to help. She discovered a box of left over project of all sort, (I am a pat rat, as my wife) and start rummaging through it.
Soon she had some black tissue paper and was cutting out shapes. But instead of using the shapes itself she was using the cutoff outlines only. After about 45 minutes she was done with her “project” and had moved to something else. Left in the living room and garage was a trail of black tissue paper.
Knowing that my wife would has a fit coming back from the store I called her to help me clean up the mess (we try to teach her to clean after herself…quite a challenge). As we were cleaning I noticed that she had laid out some of the shapes on the glass coffee table and when I reached under to pick up one of her crayon ….It just hit me.

I was one of those Eureka moments.

What if we use black cutout to decorate our doors and windows this year?
Would that create a spooky mood…?

Now all sort of idea was running into my mind. I sat down on the couch and was really pounding on this décor idea.

What would we need to make this daddy’s big project work?

The black tissue paper was too flimsy and we’ll need to have some sort of adhesive to hold it.
Heavier construction paper would work but again there is the issue of adhesive. To be honest I don’t like to clean windows. So tape and adhesive were out.

I was brought back from my reverie by my daughter who just landed on my lap saying that mammy needs my help bringing the grocery in. The black “trail quickly disappeared in the trash bin. As I made my way to the garage, I tripped over another box that my budding artist had left in the door way.
Out came rolling into the garage a roll of static-cling film that I used to shade the car when the kids were babies.
That’s it! I found the solution. I pick up my daughter and gave her a big hug and a couple of kisses at the dismay of my wife.
What’s that all about was her perplex eyes asking?
Just got a great Halloween decoration idea and giving her kiss from around the trunk.

I f you like my idea, you will need the following for your windows and door decors this Halloween:

- Static-cling film.
- Construction paper - light color or white.
- Markers
- Craft knife or utility knife with a new blade
- Empty cardboard box
- Small binder clips
- Imagination

Trace out your Halloween scenery on the construction paper with a marker (You may want to experiment with different color makers).
Using the binder clips secure the static-cling on top of it. Unfold the cardboard box on a table in a well lit area.
Place the construction paper on it and carefully cut out you artwork using the craft or utility knife.
Gently roll the film over, that will separate the outline from the one that you will be using.
Once done roll the remaining part and place one end on the window. I find out that it work best rolling from the bottom up. As you roll apply even pressure and smooth out any air bubble using a piece of clean cloth.

Hint when making your scenery make sure that the whole work is one piece.

Voila an original décor project for this Halloween season.