Halloween Wrap Up

💀 💀 Halloween 💀 💀 

It is now only a sweet memory.  

I like to write a "Halloween wrap up" entry every year to mention a few spooky fun things that we did but I didn't dedicate individual posts about.  Mr. Husband Sir and I went to a Haunted Barn/ Hay ride this year called Creeptown.  We went last year also.  This year it was set up in the artist's barn where she lives in the middle of nowhere aka 'the boonies'.  It's a good mix of cheap store bought stuff (dollar tree tomb stones), expensive special effects (projected images of dancing skeletons on the walls, antiques (a Victorian  horse drawn hearse), and handmade sculptures (carved vintage looking carnival characters).  

We also went to see The Addams Family Musical performed by a local college theater group.  The costuming was great and so were the musical numbers.  I thought the story line was a little weak and not "Addams" enough for me.  It's not a play written by Charles Addams or based on one of his cartoons or even an episode of the show.  Wednesday is all grown up and wants to marry a 'normal' guy.  The normal guy also has very normal uptight parents which the play mostly centers around them meeting the Addams family.  I will say the play has a sweet moral message of reminding people to not forget the fun carefree personalities they had when they first met their spouses and not to turn into boring "adults".

This year PB decided he wanted to go trick or treating, which is something we skip out on most years.  Once or twice he has gone by a couple of houses belonging to people we know and that's it, he just hasn't been in to Trick or Treating ever.  Most years we stay home and have a spooky themed dinner while making sure we don't accidentally turn the porch light on.  We don't give out candy anymore because the people who come by our house don't wear costumes or say "Trick or Treat" even.  They just have a walmart plastic bag and then have the nerve to ask for extras.  Last year it rained so we "Trick or Treated" in the car by driving around the neighborhood and when we saw a decorated house we said 'Trick or Treat" and grabbed a candy out of a bowl I brought.  This year, since PB is feeling the pull of childhood slipping away, he wanted to go T-or-T for real.  The best thing about this year was the temperature wasn't in the mid 90s.  It was actually chilly outside!  I think I may have come up with a family tradition this year that was a lot of fun for PB.  I have a SUV type car that the back seats can come out and it has a tail gate.  I decorated the inside of the car with spider webs and skeletons and played the Haunted Mansion music.  Since we were going to be driving very slow in our neighborhood I allowed PB (with his step dad right next to him) to ride in the back of the car and exit out of the hatch so he could get in and out easier.  Oh my gosh.  He had so much fun getting lots of candy, lots of compliments on their costumes, and getting to ride in the car illegally.  I am one who had him in a booster seat til he was in 5th grade so this is certainly out of my norm.  We noticed that most of the kids out begging for candy were older so I think PB has plans of repeating this adventure next year.  

Something this year I didn't do for the first time in 15 years was go post-Halloween shopping.  Usually I hit up all of the Targets in my surrounding area for 50 percent off Halloween goodies first thing Nov. 1.  This year I kinda took a peak at what was on the shelves on Oct. 30 but eehhhh, nothing good.  That hasn't stopped me before in the past though from trekking around.  Not only did I not go out on Nov 1 but when I did check out what my nearest Target had a couple days later (only went because I had to pick up something else), I didn't buy one thing.  Not one thing.  Not even one bag of plastic bugs.  This is thanks to my new KonMari mind set.  I have plenty of Halloween stuff and I didn't see anything that sparked spooky-joy.  

Lastly, we did our started-last-year tradition of the 'Pumpkin Pitch'.  This is were we toss the decomposing JOL from a high surface (like a 6 foot ladder) onto the ground.  We did it from the roof this year but it was a bit of a dud.  The pumpkin just broke in half when it hit the ground, I guess it wasn't rotten enough.

This Halloween season seemed to zoom by but at least we did squeeze in a few fun things.  

Dead Eye Optical and Funeral Parlor

I love to enter contests, especially ones that it takes creativity to win (not just drawing a name out of a hat).  This Halloween a local eyeglass store was sponsoring a pumpkin decorating contest where the staff voted on their favorite as the winner.  The prize was a 150 dollar gift certificate to the store.  I could use new glasses so I decided to enter.  To help boost up my odds of winning I went with a Halloween optical theme.

  My design is suppose to resemble an early 1900s store front of a combined Optician and Funeral Parlor.   The opening of the pumpkin was to look like you were peering into a window but I couldn't get the idea to come together and the sign was going to hang from little pieces of chain and swing but that idea didn't pan out either.   I cut the little eyeglasses out from paper for the skeletons, very tedious.  Inside the window are a couple of coffins and extra eyes on the walls.  The primary sign and the eyes on the walls and tombstones are prints of actual early 1900 optical store signs.  I made a little eye chart for the background that I cut out letters to spell out "EVIL" and had it lit with a mini battery powered set of lights.

Here is a better image of the eye chart all aglow.  This is one of those projects that I didn't feel was one of my most successful but I entered the contest anyway....and WON!  Yay! I don't think they had very many enter the contest so I had that in my favor...but I'll take what I can get!

I only have til December to use my certificate so I am sure I'll be posting images with some new specks in the near future!

Here are few past posts on Halloween Contests I have entered:
Robble Robble
Ellie's spine tingling Deteriorated Chia Pet Costume

Chicken in the Trick -or-Treat bucket

We love the ad campaigns for KFC.  This year we were soo excited that they included some Halloween fun stuff!  The most awesome thing they offered in their online shop was a Halloween Harland costume for a mere 5 bucks!!!

images source

"Transform yourself into the world's greatest fried chicken salesman with this 100 percent authentic Halloween costume.  Includes Colonel mask with REAL working eyeholes, and a one-size-fits-all , genuine plastic bib that contains the rest of the costume.  Surprise your friends!  Frighten total strangers!  Trick or treat and demand fried chicken instead of candy!  No one will know who you are!  

Sorry, friend!  

This fried chicken goodness is sold out!"

Halloween Harland

oh. my. word. Amazing! By the time I found out about it (within 48 hours of them going on sale) they were sold out and on ebay for 100 dollars!

 I was able to score a limited edition trick or treat pal/bucket though.  Each store had only 25 to give away to costumers who asked about them (they did not advertise them in the store) and were in costume, starting on Oct 27 while supplies lasted.  So yes, on Oct 27 at the opening hour of 10 am, I was lumberjacking my way into KFC for my free bucket.  They are double sided, mine having the robot and the cowboy.  There are other designs (cat, pirate, vampire, mummy, fire fighter, werewolf, and astronaut). Which adds up to 9 images which doesn't evenly work out for 5 buckets....hmmmm...I wonder that the other design is.  I went in to my local KFC a few days before bucket day to make sure they were going to have them.  The lady told me that they could only give one bucket to each family so if you have 5 kids you better bring some walmart bags or something for the other kids for their candy.  She also said that once all 25 buckets were gone "We out of gas", which I thought was hilarious!  I told her I was stealing that line!

If I could have scored one of those Halloween Harlan costumes I would have would have worn it with my handy KFC bucket while doling out these spicy chicken candy suckers to all the trick-or-treat kiddies wearing a costume.  

Pollito Asado

No costume, you get toe nail clippings and gnawed old chicken bones!

More Kentucky Fried Goodness:
National Fried Chicken Day
Kentucky Fried Wigwam Night

Hat Box Ghost-o-Lantern

 A Hat Box Ghost-o-lantern to carry on our Hitchhiking Ghosts theme.
This year PB carved the pumpkin for his first time ever!  This was a difficult one to do because of the small facial features and we also had a smallish pumpkin.  As I was tracing out the design onto the pumpkin I almost wiped it off and thought we should go with a plan b traditional triangle facial featured classic, which I don't think I have done in over 20 years.  PB said he would give it a try and it turned out great. My original plan was to carve in relief a hat box around the head with a real top hat sitting on the pumpkin and then add the Haunted Mansion wallpaper design carved in relief all over the back...Ha! Yeah right!  I wasn't sure if the ghost face sans hat would read as the Hat Box ghost and the wall paper design is waaaay too complicated to cover an entire smallish pumpkin in.

image source

More on the Hat Box Ghost:

The Hat Box Ghost just returned to Disney Land's  Haunted Mansion in 2015.

When the ride originally opened in 1969 the Hat Box Ghost was the last attic resident you saw as you fall out of the attic window into the graveyard.  He did not reside there very long due to technical issues with his special effects not believable enough.  His head disappears from his shoulders and reappears inside the hat box.  With technology advancements the effect now works perfectly.  I am hoping he has a twin that will take up residence at Walt Disney World!

Here is a link to the

Hat Box Ghost carving template


And for more of my past O-Lanterns:
Creature-O-Lantern
Collection o' Pumpkins

Beware of Hitchhiking Ghosts!

image source

Welcome, Foolish Mortals, to the Haunted Mansion!

There are several prominent ghosts who have retired here, from creepy old crypts all over the world.  Actually, we have 999 happy haunts here...but there's room for a 1,000! Any volunteers?

There's a little matter I forgot to mention!

Beware of Hitchhiking ghosts! 

They have selected you to fill our quota!

...and they'll haunt you until you return! 

Now!  A ghost will follow you home!

💀💀💀💀💀

For our Halloween costumes this year we went as Phineas, Ezra, and Gus, the Hitchhiking ghosts from Disney's Haunted Mansion!

The Haunted Mansion is one of our most favorite rides at Disney World.  As many know, we LOVE Halloween and we love that the Haunted Mansion is open all year representing Halloween each and every day.

Our costumes were very easy to pull together.  Phineas (PB) is wearing grey dress pants, a black long sleeve shirt, a cape of black fabric, and a top hat.  The vintage baggage is a satchel I picked up from a thrift store over 20 years ago.  I use it to carry all of the Bone Soup supplies.  Ezra (me) is wearing all stuff I already owned: White knee socks, black capri pants, white button up shirt, black scarf, and a vintage black coat.  Gus (Mr. Husband Sir) is wearing a night shirt that I made from thrifted white sheet fabric that I stained with black fabric dye to make it appear stained and streaked.  His beard is from our Soggy Bottom Boys costumes.
I made our props on the cheap.  The top hats are these shiny plastic 99 cent deals from Party City.  I covered them in black felt and attached a scrap piece of fabric as the band (total 3 bucks) .  The ball and chain is made from 2 pieces of plastic chain from dollar tree and the ball is actually a large plastic christmas ornament from a thrift store that I spray painted black (total 2.50)!

We took our photo in the front of the same historic house that we used for our Chimney Sweeps costumes and it is the Victorian Death and Mourning Tour house as well.

Transfixed for another Haunted Mansion craft?! You must make passage here:
Madame Leota Crystal Ball

Jack o' Lantern Breakfast!

What do all little goblins and big ghoulies want for Halloween breakfast?  This sausage headed little pancake faced Jack o' Lantern of course!  To make this guy more closely related to his pumpkin pals I added a can of pure pumpkin into the pancake batter.

PB and I wound up having our happy butter nosed buddy for dinner one night when Mr. Husband Sir had a previous engagement around the dinner bell ringing time frame.

You see Mr. Husband Sir is terrified of eating pumpkin.  As a child he heard a story from his old great great Granny Franny Jo.  She told him that one day while she was out in the pumpkin patch gathering the glowing gourds to exchange for possum hides she came across a pumpkin that startled her.  It mysteriously had the exact features of her high school sweetheart, Cleatus "Bumpkin" Hayseed, who passed away in an accident involving a tractor and a polecat.  While she was a'miring Bumpkin's pout, a fly landed on his noggin for a spell, which she took as an omen.   Franny Jo was a'skert that ifn't she turned this pumpkin into a pie Bumpkin's haint was gonna come after her.  She toted the doppelganger gourd up to the shanty for safe keeping. That evening ol' Franny Jo had to go up town to compete in a tabacky long distance spitting contest.  When she came home that night victoriously upholding her title of spitting holler queen, she was greeted with the wonderful smell of freshly baked pie...pumpkin pie.  Franny Jo came a'barreling through the front door to see that her mama had stopped by and had baked up a celebratory confection. "Mama, what have you gone and done!?  Now Cleatus "Bumpkin" Hayseed is gonna haint me!  Didja not see that his face was in that punkin's features?"  exclaimed Franny Jo.  "What you talking about, Franny?  That punkin looked just like your ol' drunk Uncle Jessichias from your daddy's kinfolk side. I had a good time choppin' him up! He still owes me for knocking over my outhouse." said Mama.  Franny Jo started to think back and realized that her mama was right, Bumpkin had a wart on his cheek shaped like a pumpkin while Uncle Jessichias had a face that attracted flies.  Relieved now, Franny Jo happily cut out a few hunks of pie for them to shovel in.  Suddenly, Franny Jo bit down on something crunchy...a fly!  However Franny was used to periodically chomping down on the little buggers so she paid it no mind.  At this point in the yarn, great great Granny Franny Jo would go off on a tangent about flies, or out houses, or the many uses for corn husks.  But Mr. Husband Sir starts blurring out and keeps repeating to himself  "flies in the pumpkin, crunchy flies in the pumpkin, FLIES ARE IN PUMPKIN!!!"


Just kidding, I made most of that up.  However, the description of his kinfolk is fairly spot on.  I wish there was a good reason, or at least an entertaining one, about why he doesn't eat pumpkin, other than him being a picky eater.

But back to our Jack o' Lantern Pancakes!  Mrs. Butterworth donned a Halloween apron as our accompaniment.  She borrowed it from her friend, Mrs. Frank E. Stein.

PB and I had a great little time making and eating these together and not having a pumpkin party pooper around spouting off pumpkin put downs in the background.  Mr. Husband Sir doesn't just dislike pumpkin, he hates and despises it.  If he could "make it his business" he would torch all of the pie pumpkin patches in the entire world and dance on top of their 'burnt to a turn' remains.
I understand though.  I feel that way about barbecue sauce.  Don't even get me started on that foul fetid fluid.  Ok, back to a happy place....Bewitch the whole family with Jack o' Lantern Breakfast pumpkin pancakes with sausage contacts and wig!

This also isn't our first stack of Halloween flapjack-o'lanterns either. Carve your way over to Pumpkin pancakes.

Jack and Jill magazine October 1968

Check out these spooktacular fun activities from Jack and Jill Magazine October 1968.

 I tried my best to cover up the answers that were filled in.  I really love these illustrations, especially that peeking witch on the bottom right corner.
The puzzle seems to have forgotten one.
21.  When you go to a restaurant that only serves Pepsi products, you are in: __ __ __ __
(When we are at a restaurant and the server asks apprehensively "Is Pespi ok?"  My husband responds comically "Is monopoly money ok?" )

When your done with the puzzle, it's time to get out the scissors!

For these next couple of activities print them onto cardstock.

Make your own "House Haunted!" featuring Boo and Boney!
They look like they are exchanging jokes.

"Hey Boo! What do you call a trio of drunk ghosts in a tornado?
I don't know, Boney.  What?
Three sheets to the wind!"

"Thank you folks! We'll be here till the witching hour! Enjoy the buffet!"

And here is Spook and Pumpkin paper puppets. They do the introductions for Boney and Boo's stand up performance.

"Ladies and germs!  Ghouls and Goblins! Our condolences to you for joining us tonight at the 6 Feet Under Comedy Crypt!  Hold on to your parts folks!  No, seriously... Frankenstein was here last week and laughed his ahhhs, um... head off. We've got the comedy team Boney and Boo here tonight so keep your heads bolted on tight!" 

Here are the "At My Desk" answers for the Hidden In Halloween Puzzle if you are playing along at home, sans answer to number 21 which is 7734:

Fun Spooky Stuff!  

Demented Decor 2017

I have been so busy lately tending to my fires that Halloween decorating didn't happen until much later than normal.  I didn't even get a single bat up til the middle of October, but the nice thing is I usually leave everything displayed through the middle of November.  Maybe I'll push it out even until Dec.... It could be a true Nightmare Before Christmas!

Even though it's really the same items I display every year I try to mix it up a bit.  This year I hung a bunch of the jointed skeletons from the ceiling.  I also hung little bats from clips on the newly hung and made curtains and hardware in the dining room (one of the many house projects Mr. Husband Sir and I completed).

 I forgot to include this ginormous retro vinyl mask in the 'new Halloween stuff this year' post.  I got it for Mr. Husband last year for Christmas from Retro-A-Go-Go.  They have several more designs of these very cool larger than life plastic masks reminiscent from mine and Hub's childhood. 

I like these masks as fun decor but remember them not being at all fun to wear.  First off be aware that the temperature on Halloween night is typically a balmy 87 degrees.  The plastic caused your hot breath to form condensation inside the mask which made breathing feel like suffocating.  The moisture would then get smeared all over your face and into your hair as you had to lift and lower the mask to be able to navigate between porch lights. Couple that with the themed corresponding thick vinyl non-breathable costume onsie which trapped in more non-expellable heat and you have the makings of a nice little inferno death trap in the form of Holly Hobbie or Tweety Bird.

Speaking of Death Traps, here is the Funeral Parlor area within my demented home. I have an Embalming Certificate from 1933 and a vintage metal funeral reserved sign hanging here but not pictured.  You can see them here: last year's decor.  I usually do this area pretty much the same.

New this year PB decorated his own little Halloween "mood table" as inspired from the idea from Secret Fun Blog.  Instead of a table he used a little metal corner shelf.   I thought it was interesting to see what items he selected and his attention to even spacing.

Also forgot that I got this cute little Gurley ghost candle since last Halloween.

I have had so many "fires" going on (most of them not initially lit by me) that I haven't been able to get in the Halloween spirit.  Mr. Husband Sir and I have a few spooky fun activities planned later in the month that I hope will lift my dismal perspective.  In the mean time, I will just light up the plastic blow mold jack-o-lanterns and enjoy their orangey glow.

Halloween Treat! Candy Wrapper Garland

A little bit of Halloween craftyness to share with you today.
I have been saving up those cute orange and black waxed candy wrappers from past holiday seasons to use as festive decor in some way.  I came up with stringing them (sans candy) together as a candy wrapper garland!

 It's fairly easy enough to put together.  Start by eating and pushing all your fam members to gorge on yummy peanut butter kisses, purchased cheaply from dollar tree.  Stress to these folks to gently open the wrappers and not tear them.  After you have collected enough untainted wrappers, gather up some inch thick styrofoam sheets, black embroidery floss, and needle.  I got my styrofoam from a dumpster at a local furniture store for free, but I have seen craft stores carry it as well but sell it for waaay too much. Look around your house (or local dumpster) and see if you can use something free as well.  Next, cut out candy shaped pieces using an old sharp knife or an exacto blade for the fancy folks.  String the plain styrofoam candies onto the embroidery floss uncovered.  Lastly cover each candy piece in alternating colored wrappers, twisting the ends well and leaving the floss exiting from the middle of the twists (see above photo).

I came up with this idea several years ago and just got around to making it this year.  I think the garlands would look great on a Halloween tree or draped over door frames.  Or leave the fake candies un-stringed and place in candy dishes as a trick!

13 Ghosts

image source

 Happy Friday the 13th!  

Let's celebrate in Illusion-O Vision!

William Castle's 1960 movie 13 Ghosts has become a holiday tradition around our crypt.  I love William Castle and all of his fun gimmicks he used to promote and involve the audience with the movie and theater experience.  He had patron-looking employees staged at performances to scream or dress up like nurses to tend to anyone who suffered a fear induced medical mishap from viewing the film.  He had ambulances parked in front of the theater, $1,000 life insurance policies issued to anyone who died of fright during viewings, fake skeletons that would swoop down during the showing, and electric buzzers installed under some of the seats that would go off during pivotal points.  There were also gimmicks within the film such as 'Fright Breaks" in the movie Homicidal, where a timer would appear on the screen right before an extremely suspenseful moment, giving audience members a chance to leave, which they were then given a Coward's Certificate along with a refund.  In The Tingler, the monster is expected to be in the theater when the lights suddenly go out, next the film strip goes white suggesting the projectionist has just been murdered...and that's the pivotal point.... electric seat buzzers start going off!  I can't believe such creativity, imagination, fun, and effort ever existed in this world.  

In 13 Ghosts the gimmick was being able to see..or not see the ghosts in the film by means of the Ghost Viewer. The movie is filmed in black and white with overlays of blue and red during the ghost appearances.   For the faint at heart they could look through the blue screen to not see the ghosts while thrill seekers had the red view screen to intensify the ghost presence. We own the movie but do not have a Ghost Viewer, which the movie poster claims it will boost "13 times the entertainment".  To increase our entertainment value I had to make us a set of our very own Ghost Viewers (How-To below)! 

image source

 Here is an image of William Castle along with some local members of his Horror Advisory Board and Fan Club in San Antonio, TX showing off a Ghost Viewer during a 13 Ghosts premiere in 1960.  I wonder if Mr. Castle stayed at the Menger Hotel during his visit?

image source

"Ghost Viewer A Good Gadget!"

image source

To make your own Ghost Viewer:

*Locate a good quality scan of a Ghost Viewer from the nets and print out full page on card stock

*Purchase red and blue cellophane (I got mine from dollar tree.  They were both cellophane gift wrapping.  One was a bag intended for shrink wrap and the other was on a roll)

*Cut out viewing areas from the Ghost Viewer with an exacto blade.

*Cut and glue or tape pieces of cellophane in appropriate spaces.

Now "Use Viewer" and go ghost hunting!

See ghosts in ectoplasmic color!

'Til Death Do Us Part

A friend of ours is having a Halloween inspired wedding this month and I was asked to make the bouquet.  This struck fear in me. Wedding flower arranging is not my area of expertise.  But since it was a Halloween theme I figured I could possibly pull it off. I thought a Haunted Mansion Funeral Parlor looking arrangement could look nice and macabe. 

 The bride's only request was for the bouquet to have eyeballs.  I tried to do that 'eyeball in the middle of the flower' thing but it made the bouquet look like a muppet.  It didn't look creepy-good, it looked stupid-bad.  I wanted the eyeball theme to be a bit more distinguished.  I decided to use some eyeball fabric scraps I had left over from this dress (Mr. Husband Sir and I are planning on wearing our matching outfits to the wedding!).  I cut the eyes out, mod podged them for stability, then hot glued them to the black branches.

 I also made the groom and ring bearer's boutonnieres, which were much easier.

When I first accepted this project I was very nervous of the outcome.  PB said something really sweet before I started it.  He told me that anything I ever make or do always turns out looking fantastic so he knew this flower thing would be great too. I must be doing a good job of tossing out my failed projects without him having knowledge!  I do think the bouquet turned out fairly decent though.  In actuality it looks much better in real life.  I had such a time trying to get these few photos.  My town is located about 1 foot from the sun's surface and it's about a majakillion degrees outside.  And here I am traipsing around three different cemeteries in the middle of the day looking for the "perfect" spot with a camera, glass vase, bushy bouquet and two boutonnieres on a tray....and it started to rain.  I wound up getting a slight sunburn and a major migraine headache for my troubles.  Part of the problem is I love looking around old cemeteries at the funerary art and dates.  I have plans on doing my own cemetery tour when the temperature drops to only a bajillion.  

Haunted Menger Hotel

Several years ago I got the opportunity to stay at the famed Menger Hotel located in San Antonio, TX.  Famed for being so old (founded in 1859), hosting a ton of celebs (Teddy Roosevelt, Roy Rogers, Babe Ruth, Mae West...), and for being haunted!

Before my trip I researched the "most ghost sensitive" spots and went around the halls at night snapping photographs.

The only spirits I was able to witness were in the bar, unfortunately. 

 Down one of the main corridors are many displays of artifacts and antiques.

The most intriguing to me was this ledger entry from 1876.

It is on the bottom of the page, a bit hard to make out in the picture...

It says 

"Hotel Exp. Acct. 

to cash paid for Sallie White, col'd chambermaid, deceased, murdered by her husband, shot Mar 28, died Mar 30th/ 2500 ($25.00)
 for grave 700 ($7.00)
$32.00"

Sallie White happens to be one of the most famous ghosts seen walking the halls of the Menger.  It is said she is sighted carrying towels and tiding up.  Poor thing has been working off that 32 bucks for one hundred and forty one years!

 After I stayed at the Menger I couldn't stop talking about it.  It was built in 1859!!!  It's "haunted"! From my room window I could see the Alamo!  It's next door to "There isn't a basement in The Alamo"!  So for Christmas that year Hubs got me this vintage Menger dessert plate.

Wouldn't it be fun to have a small set of dishes from someplace considered to be haunted and use them for Halloween dinner?  This plate is gilded so I wouldn't want to risk repeated washing on it....but maybe even making a set would work.  Ohhh!  What about making a set with a "The Overlook Hotel' emblem on them!  Ideas for the future!