A Haunting Hiatus

 

Little Pearl is dark this year.  And my heart hurts.

It wasn't COVID that shut it down, but that had been weighing heavily on my mind as to whether or not we'd even have a Halloween this year.  Rather, it was a decision to move back to the area I grew up that I now find myself sitting here on the 3rd day of the greatest month of the year and all my haunting goodies are in a 16' POD somewhere in Oakland, CA.  And I am not handling it well.

What will all those kids who've come by to Trick-or-Treat think when instead of a Halloween feast for the eyes, they find only a "FOR SALE" sign?  Have I let them all down?

I will of course rebuild.  I told the realtor that my #1 priority was that my new neighborhood had to be Halloween friendly.  Because I'm coming in hot and with zombies.  On October 1st.  Every year.

In the meantime, I drive around with painful envy of the most meager of yard displays.  Even poorly done spider webbing makes me jealous (sort of, it's still pretty bad. Stretch it people!  Stretch it!)

What this has afforded me is the opportunity to tackle an idea I've been knocking around: the "$100 Haunt."  Halloween props, GOOD Halloween props that is, can be expensive; the high price a deterrent to decorating for just "one day."  Home Depot's 12ft Skeleton nearly came home with me when I went to get some soil in August.  At $300 and in the middle of a move, it would have been hard to explain to the Mr.

You can pull off any number of my Property Possession themes with a handful of smart purchases for around $100.  From there, you can add as you desire, growing the display as you find more treasures over the years or you can choose to leave it at it's economic perfection.  As I was feeling rather low, I hit the nearby Home Depot for some Halloween Retail Therapy and bought everything for a Witch's Lair display, including the pumpkins.  Here's how I did it.

Shopping List:

1x Wood Crate                         $12.98

1x Lantern Candle Holder        $13.98

2x Metal Paint Bucket              $10.44 (pack of 3)

1x 3/8x 50ft Manila Rope         $9.97

1x Jute Twine                           $2.87

1x Steel Pail                             $22.88*

BBQ Brush                               $5.98

Paint Brush                              $2.00

Cinnamon Broom                     $4.99

Total:                                        $86.04 (w/o tax)

*This is an old pail I have been using for years to mix concrete for my tombstones so technically I didn't need to purchase it this go around.  I've included the cost to be fair.

The following are items I always have on hand for crafty stuff.  Whatever you can't find at Home Depot you can pick up at the grocery or dollar store:

Paper Towels

Distilled Vinegar

3% Hydrogen Peroxide

Salt

Lemon Juice

SOS Pads or Steel Wool

Rubber Gloves

Goof Off (degreaser)

2x Pumpkins

    *At Home Depot they were around $5 a piece which is a great value.  Add to your discretion.  My personal minimum of double digits had to be curtailed this year.  Grr.

I aged the crate with my favorite SOS Pad solution and rusted the buckets over the course of 2 days until I got the color and look I wanted.  That's pretty much it! 

Stacking rusty metal buckets is another idea I've been wanting to share.  Straw bales and crates are great, I obviously very much like crates.  It just felt like in order to have fun with levels and height, that's all there was.  Meanwhile, I was working on my rusted buckets post which produced, mildly put, A LOT of buckets.  And when you're doing things like this to make it happen:

...funny how creative genius works.  The crate reached a particularly lovely deep grey color; SOS Pad solution still beats Steel Wool in my book.

The lantern was discovered in the clearance area they set up outside the store, an area that frequently offers up great props at a great price, especially candle holders & lanterns.  What would have been a lovely lantern for an outdoor summer dinner party is now at half the price and ready to illuminate a haunt instead.  P.S. Later I picked up one more VERY cool lantern online that was also on sale not because the display really needed it, I just couldn't help myself when confronted with it's coolness. 

Just those items alone produces a display rich in color and texture that could take you all through Fall.

From here, just about anything could be added to this base over the holiday, the months, or years.  In my case, it was more like hours.

My 4 year old has an eye for the Nefarious by Nature and found some old wasps nests, a Magnolia tree seed pod, feathers, oak tree branches with lovely green lichen, and some detritus from a tree that look like snakes.  Corn stalks were picked up from Michael's "Fall Foliage Sale."  A fossil, picked up on a trip to Wyoming many years ago, was found in a drawer at my dad's and ticks both the Nefarious by Nature box and Sinister Souvenir.

My Haunter Hoarder stash contributed the rusted tin can and stained glass jar.

Goodwill offered up some Thrifty Thrills in the form of a pillar candle stand, small engraved metal pitcher and an engraved metal ball.  Side note, my metal bucket stash was mostly built from thrift stores.  Beverage buckets, buckets from gift baskets and flowers, etc. often find their way to these stores so you can stock up on metal buckets in all sorts of sizes and shapes for far less than retail.  My amazing stash that sits, scared and sad in a POD in Oakland, will eventually make for a killer post. 

I also wound up getting a roll of burlap and made a creepy cloth drape for the door and used the rest to cover up some building supplies that were seriously effecting the Halloween vibe.  Burlap has many uses in a haunt, from false walls, to covering areas you don't plan on decorating, to creating vines or creepy curtains.  And all for under $11!

Here's the end result.  I really wish I had access to my antler sheds as I think they'd look great in the mix.  Otherwise, I'm very pleased with my set up and can't wait to show you how to flush out more haunt themes without breaking the bank.

3/8 Manila Rope threaded through the burlap, hung from hooks.
I cut the rope long so it would hang down & then used it to tie the
"vines" back so we weren't getting tangled every time we went in or out

Untied, blowing in the breeze.  Creepy!

Swamp Lamps: Alluring Illumination

With containment comes time.  Lots and lots of time.  I worry what the future is going to look like.  When October comes, will we feel safe and comfortable going from house to house, drawing close to each other, hands diving into a shared bucket of candy, without fear of deadly germs?  I know it seems silly to think about but it's the normalcy of traditions like Halloween night I miss.  Heck I miss even the freedom of thinking about silly things.

I figured the best therapy would be to plug forward as if all were going to be the same and get to prop making.  I have a long list of stuff I want to try and managed to somehow start 3 all at the same time.  The first to completion (or near completion at least) are these gobsmacking swamp lamps I found via Pinterest & the Halloween Forum.

You can find the instructions here.  They're well written and clear; I pretty much followed them to a tee.  What I posted here are actually the 2nd and 3rd pass at the project.  I kinda messed up the first one when I got to the painting step and I could kick myself.  It's vitally important to use a wash or water down your paint.  It's what gives it the more natural look vs just some craft paint on CelluClay.  And take your time, layer the paint.  You can always add more but you can't take it away.

This was my first time using CelluClay and I LOVE it.  What a fantastic product!  If you haven't used it before, I suggest starting at the base of your lamp where you can experiment and hide "mistakes."  I decided to go over the CelluClay with water using either my finger or a paint brush to smooth it out in an effort to match the smoother texture of driftwood.  I used the CelluClay to bulk up areas, built "bridges" between the bamboo - anything to hide the distinctive look of a tiki torch.

Be patient with the paint, slowly building up the color
for greater realism. 

My daughter and I gathered the wood and some of the shells on a beach trip, the rest was stuff from my stash.  Shark teeth, shells, beach glass....honestly I had a hard time stopping, I just kept thinking of fun things to add.

The shark teeth were found "panning" at a pumpkin festival.
My daughter did gems, I wanted fossils. We both were happy.

Like the "seaweed!"  At first I was going to add moss but then started to worry it would just dry and eventually fall off.   Switching course, I dyed some cheesecloth green (I did two pieces, soaking one longer than the other to get different shades) and then cut small squares.  After pulling at it a bit, stretching it out, I used matte Modge Podge to adhere it to the sides.  I gently brushed more Modge Podge in other areas of the cheesecloth to give it a wet look.  The result is somewhere between seaweed and fishnet, either of which works just fine for me!

Seaweed clings to the outside as light illuminates the creepy
interior of the lamp base

Last note, I realized too late on my first one so remedied it here - it's really incredible when the light is able to find it's way DOWN through the bottom of the jar.  It illuminates the space adding even more visual interest.  I try to keep the tape and CelluClay to a minimum on the underside of the jar.  To cast light both up and down, I taped two LED votive candles end to end.  

This is not an afternoon project.  I worked on mine over days, if not more.  It takes time for things to dry.  And if you're like me, you'll keep thinking of new ways to make it cool thus drawing it out longer.  But man is it worth it.  I still can't believe I made something so cool!

Be safe, we'll be haunting together soon...I feel it.

211 days till Halloween...

My daughter knocked this one over, snapping all the sticks
above the lip of the jar.  After a cry, I got some wood glue and
got to work.  You would have never known, would you?

Pantry Potion: Stained Glass Jars

Officially my new favorite DIY project, these stained glass jars are easy, cheap and full of opportunities to personalize.  I'm in the middle of making a new Halloween prop that calls for a lantern type jar.  I wanted something a little different than my Witch's Jars, something a bit more Enchanted Forest Fairy and less bloody & muck.  YouTube proffered a fantastic & short how-to on staining glass that seemed perfect and everything you need is likely already in your pantry.

Here's what you need:
Glass jars - Mason or rinsed spaghetti, salsa, jelly, etc.  Use Goo Gone to remove any label glue
Modge Podge
Food Coloring
(Bake at 215° for 1-2 hours, until all glue is clear)

I followed the YouTube instructions for my first 2 jars and while I think the overall, consistent color is cool (see the green jars below), it wasn't quite right for my project.   Rather than pre-mixing the food coloring & Modge Podge, I decided to coat the jar with MP first and then add drops of food coloring, working the color around by rolling and tipping the jar.  I also upped the cooking temp to 215° as I felt it cooked a little faster without "burning" the glue.

So far the results are killer.  I think it could still use a bit of tweaking, getting the glue to food coloring ratio just right changes the results.  For now though, I'm in love with my new Fairy Jars.

***Bloody Valentine Votive seekers, scroll down to the end of the post for more details!***

Tips:

• The food coloring will almost run right over the Modge Podge at first, different densities and all.  Eventually they will combine, something you may or may not desire.  The more you work the MP around, the more it will mix.  Too many colors & swirling, the more muddled it will get.  Get it just right and combine two complimentary colors for a fabulous 3 color finish (ie., red & yellow swirls with orange, red & blue with purple, etc.)

• Start with the lightest color.  The darker colors dominate and you don't need nearly as much so add a little at a time.

• Try to avoid excess Modge Podge.  It collects in the bottom and takes forever to dry.  Adding the food coloring adds liquid so you can go a bit light on the MP, even leaving blank areas.  Once you add to food coloring,  you'll have enough to cover the blanks.  (Or leave them clear, up to you.)

• If you do wind up with a pool of Modge Podge, don't despair! You can coat the jar with it again to expedite the drying process.  Using hot pads, take the jar out of the oven and tilt it slightly to one side.  Tilt & roll the jar around, working the VERY HOT, lava-like colored MP around the sides.  Please note this will tend to cause a more even, constant color.  So if you have some good swirly whirly areas, you may want to dodge them as you work the VERY HOT MP around.  BE VERY CAREFUL.  Make sure to keep your eyes peeled, random globs of VERY HOT MP may gather and fall if you're not paying attention.

• You can avoid the previous tip by just using as little Modge Podge as possible.  I wish I could tell you a perfect MP to food coloring ratio but it's really all trial and error and what sort of look you want.  Dig into your Haunt Hoard of glass jars to experiment with color combinations and MP.  It's endlessly fun.

Finally, like most of my projects that involve candles, I recommend using flameless LED. Safety first and it adds to the longevity of your art.

Share your Fairy Jars in the comments!

311 days till Halloween...

Even and light coating of Modge Podge with
6 drops of yellow food coloring

Swirled and whirled yellow food coloring

4 drops of green, swirled and whirled

Few drops of blue. Mid jar you can see where
the color and MP have begun to mix

Last looks before putting it in the oven

Drum roll...

While not my favorite it's a nice view of how the colors work with Modge Podge - mixing, not mixing, etc.  More results from the craft laboratory below...

Yellow, Green & Red food coloring

Blue & Purple food coloring

Yellow, green, blue & red food coloring

This was my first attempt at the new technique. It's muddled a bit but also pretty cool & will work well in my new prop.

I followed the YouTube video for these, using green & yellow food coloring and pre-mixing it in the Modge Podge

MY BLOODY VALENTINE:

For these bad boys, I premixed the food coloring (red) and MP, put a small amount in the bottom and coated just the lower inch or so.  I then carefully dripped the mixture along the upper rim of the jar, varying quantity for different drip lengths.  I used the same knife I had used for mixing color and MP like a spatula for the drips - scooping up a bit and pouring it gently over the rim.

After it baked for about 15 minutes, I swirled the hot lava MP around the bottom for another coating and also added more drips, laying the color in some places and creating new drips in others.  Repeat this process until you get the color and look you like and finish baking until all the MP is dry.  Bloody great candle holders for Valentine's day...

Haunter Hoarder

A sauce jar turned Witch's Jar and
former libation & oil bottles create a
creepy corner

Sigh, the Most Wonderful Time of the Year has passed and the post euphoria melancholy begins to set in.  The antidote?  Planning for next year!

Repurposing everyday items falls perfectly in my cheap & easy decorating philosophy.  Stockpiling these empty or used household items keeps the DIY supply high and always at the ready when inspiration hits and time allows for prop making.  Check out this list of items and how to use them in your haunt.


Tin Cans - Hold onto the cans from everything from coffee to baked beans to acquire an assortment of sizes.  Pierce a design in with a hammer and nail and then rust them up with a salt & vinegar rusting solution for fantastic luminaries.  Add a creepy label to a rusted can to stock an apothecary.  Add some rusted cans to a Cabin in the Woods haunt to give it an "abandoned, no help is coming" feeling.  Note: be sure to hammer down any sharp edges leftover from removing the lid.

Baked beans...swirly luminaria

Glass Jars - Gonna need glass jars for Witch's Jars.  Large pickle jars are fantastic as well as supersized jars of spaghetti sauce.  Use smaller jars like olive & pesto jars and add labels for an apothecary.  I love Oui Yogurt jars for tea lights sized holders.  Ball sells metal tops with hangers that fit some wide mouth jars allowing you to create hanging lanterns for a cemetery, Pirate Ship, or Priestess Shack.

Oui Yogurt jars (2nd from left) have
a lovely shape

Glass bottles - Wine, olive oil & liquor bottles and their unique shapes add visual interest to an apothecary.  Remove the labels and add your own and wrap raffia around the necks.  Or leave the labels, age them and add to a Haunted House or Pirate Ship.  Hold onto the corks so they can be placed back in to appear still full of vintage libations.  Cider bottles are perfect for Pirate haunts or Cabin in the woods.  Stain the inside of clear bottles with Modge Podge dyed with food coloring and bake for 1 hour at 200 degrees for a cool stained glass look.

Tin Containers - Mints, tea, spices, hot chocolate; tin containers can be rusted or simply add a label and added to a Haunted House, apothecary, Pirate Ship or Cabin in the Woods.

Medicine bottles - Remove labels and use a glue gun to write the contents on the side.  Paint with silver, gold or bronze paint and distress to create potion ingredient bottles for an apothecary.

Flowers/Bouquets - If you're fortunate to get flowers show them new appreciation by adding them to a haunt.  Hang upside down to dry after enjoying their fresh blossoms.  Add to an apothecary, Shack or place in a aged vase (use the one it came in!) in a Haunted House display.

Vases/Gift Baskets - Speaking of flowers, vases are more than glass.  Metal, birch, wood, baskets, and more.  Hold onto the cool one's and toss the tacky to add to Pirate Ships, Haunted Houses, Swamp Shacks, Cabins in the Woods...honestly, they can find a home just about anywhere.  The wood box shaped one's can be turned on their sides, stacked and glued together to create a shadow or storage box display.  Gift baskets can be added to Witch's Lairs, Swamp Shacks, Haunted Houses, Undertakers, Tombs/Crypts and more.

Rust this pail up with a salt & vinegar solution

Naturals are perfect for a Witch's Lair or Swamp Shack

Stack these on their side to create a multi-compartment display

Fill with dried fruit or skulls. Age the wood with an
SOS Pad/Steel Wool solution and metal band with a
salt & vinegar solution.

Food & supplies for the Pharaoh in the afterlife were stored in
baskets not too dissimilar to these.

Bottle Caps - Make a hole and add to a mobile or create a wind chime.  Place in the eye sockets of a fake skull.

Ribbon/Yarn/String - This can get overwhelming so be sure to only hold onto the good stuff.  Wrapping these days is so "cool" it often means twine, burlap & yard.  The pieces may not always be big, but you only need a little to wrap the neck of a bottle or to hang a mobile.

362 days till Halloween....