Fall-ing Forward from Goblins to Gobble Gobble

Don't toss those uncarved gourds just yet!  Keep the festivities going by gathering them together and adding corn cobs for a festive Thanksgiving display.  These corn cobs were on my cornstalks from Halloween which was an extra bonus.

Or...add some succulents.  This nifty project my mom just finished and I think it's fantastic.  She hot glued some clippings directly to the pumpkin.  The succulents will grow through the skin of the pumpkin and as the pumpkin decomposes, it provides nutrients the plants.  The more deformed the pumpkin the better, tucking the clippings into their twists and turns.  What a great Thanksgiving table centerpiece option.  Can't wait to try this myself.

Antler Shed Wreath - I'm actually not much of a wreath person but I do adore how they can mark the passing of a year through the holidays.  I took my antlers (eBay) and feathers (craft store/found) from my haunt set up and picked up this grapevine wreath at Joann Fabrics ($6.99 minus a 60% off regular price coupon).  A silver cuff bracelet adds a nice touch of metal along with some rusted bell stems I found on 70% clearance last year.   Moose ribbon a result of years of hoarding gift wrap ribbon to the point of embarrassment.

Pumpkin Bush into Turkey Topiary - My first year doing these so need to tweak but I'm already all about these silly and amazing turkey topiaries.  Left the pumpkin bush part as is and added a shepherd's hook, old trellis and some tomato cages.

Above the Cabinets - The antler candle holders were a Christmas purchase that goes from Halloween, to Thanksgiving and right into Christmas.  Owls transition from "Boo" back to "Who" when nestled among the fall harvest.  My mother was amazing at marking the year through the holidays with window & door decals and decorations.   Bringing the cheer to the space above the cabinets is my way of carrying the tradition on.

From Halloween spooky...

To Thanksgiving toasty.

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....

Spider Infestation: Quick & Easy Pipe Cleaner Arachnids

When I was doing the original Spider House theme for my house, I didn't want just a few spiders, I wanted a full on infestation.  There are plenty of commercially made spiders available in all colors and sizes and for the most part, they are a decently made prop that will last a good amount of years.  However it was going to get expensive if I wanted the place crawling so I needed an alternative.

Meet the pipe cleaner spier.  6 extra long pipe cleaners per spider.  They're not too hard, by the 3rd or 4th you'll have the technique down you can quickly crank out dozens while watching TV.

8 days till Halloween...


Supplies: 6 Extra Long Pipe Cleaners

Step 1: Fold 4 pipe cleaners in half.

Step 2: Fold these 4 in half again.

Step 3: Bend the tips slightly to create feet

Steps 1, 2 & 3

Step 4: Line up the "V" of two of the legs and wrap one of your straight pipe cleaners around it twice.  Make sure to pinch the initial wrap tightly to secure it and the legs together.

Step 4

Step 5: Wrap the pipe cleaner twice more, this time outside of the "V."  This is the "body" of the spider.  Again try to keep these wraps tight.

Step 5

Step 6: Line up the remaining 2 legs and wrap the pipe cleaner around the "V" twice.

Step 6

Step 7: Repeat the wrapping process with your 6th pipe cleaner.  This pipe cleaner is to bulk up the body and make it more sturdy so wrap and pinch as you see fit.

Hello spider

The feet can be pinched around fake spider web so you can hang wherever you want.  They also slide nicely into the spaces on a screen so cover windows and screened doors with them.             

And there you go!  Spiders!  Back when I was working on Dancing With the Stars was the first Halloween episode.  The Production Designer thought my spiders were so cool, he added some to the set including the background of Tom Bergeron's primary spot.  I was so proud!

Another option:

Pipe cleaners and egg shaped styrofoam balls painted black.  Pretty straight forward.  Key with these, and the others, is getting that bend right in the leg.  The right bend makes them look more realistic and highlights that elevated structure that causes chills.

Add a red glitter glue hourglass for a Black Widow

Let Fear Be Your Guide

Spent a day of work feeling watched...

Phobias reach new heights during the Season of Fear which you should absolutely use to your advantage when developing your haunt.   From the familiar to the obscure, the list is long and frighteningly fruitful.   Add touches to tap into your visitors trepidation and stir unease.

Check out these examples and share you own in the comments below.

16 days till Halloween...


Arachnophobia - taunt those who fear spider with an infestation

This bad boy popped out as I was futzing with the fake webbing

Astraphobia - Fear of thunder & lightning

Catoptrophobia - Fear of mirrors.  Strategically place mirrors so visitors get startled by their own reflection

Coulrophobia - Fear of clowns.  Who exactly likes clowns?

Oh hi, you still there?

Entomophobia - Fear of insects

Hemophobia - Fear of blood

Herptophobia - Fear of reptiles

Musophobia - Fear of mice and rats

Necrophobia - Fear of death or dead things.  Taxidermy animals and their following eyes.  Shudder.  Even real animal bones can be unnerving.

Wrong on so many levels

Ophidiophobia - Fear of snakes.  You can incorporate snakes in lots of different haunt themes.  I wrap about a dozen wherever I can get them to hang.

Ornithophobia - Fear of birds

Pyrophobia - Fear of fire.  Probably why we're all so entranced by it...

So cool...until my dad nearly burnt up
the front yard

Trypophobia - Fear of holes

I know I said I wouldn't post a pic of a
lotus pod but come on, they're just too
disturbing and incredible

The Height of Horror

Creepy mobiles & dreamcatchers drift in the breeze

There's something unnerving about things hanging overhead.  Information outside of our sight line sneaks up on us or it's simply an unnatural location for some objects.  The magic of floating candles in Harry Potter, spider webs tickling our faces, a ghostly figure from a window above - our vantage point leads us to feel vulnerable to a greater power.

My love for hanging props knows no limits.  If you've been reading my blog, it comes up a lot.  A lot.  The myriad of paranormal potential will keep you crafting and hunting for new props for years to come.  Creepy mobiles and dream catchers, chandeliers, hanging baskets, macrame hanging planters, wind chimes, sun catchers, creepy curtains, lanterns, hooks, chains, Spanish Moss- I favor items that can move to increase the odds visitors will see it.  Even if they don't directly, their subconscious absorbs these details and adds to their experience.

Here's some of my favorite Little Pearl Haunt hanging props:

Bones at night, what a fright!

Driftwood, bone & sea glass sun catcher

A prefabbed light up feathered mobile
enhanced with wolf teeth & rusty wire

One of 2019 new props are these
macrame hanging plant holders I dyed with
spices, tea & coffee and added
mink skulls, white tailed deer jaws, beads & feathes

These jellyfish lamps from Mexico go from beachy to boo with the
help of an orange light bulb

Witch's Jar and Spanish Moss

Witch's Jar

Found two of these chandeliers on Craigslist for $20 total. I have since

added another that I found on the side of the road.  I love how they have a ghostly

float in mid-air, seemingly unattached to anything

16 days till Halloween....