So over the weekend I met a very nice lady via craigslist. She was selling all of her halloween decor for a whopping $50. She had one prop that was used once and still in the box that was worth $60, so the way I look at it is I bought one prop and got a shit load for free. Ok so I have a lot of stuff, but offered to go through the things this lady gave me and give to a few friends after I sort through it all. After all I don’t need the majority of what she gave me, yet then again I’m a crafter and will be revamping and or recreating with some of the stuff.

The thing that makes me peeved, is on two different occasions this weekend I had to hear that I’m a hoarder? Really??? Have you seen them shows? First off, it’s a hobby of mine, halloween, haunting, decorating and the entire essence of halloween excites me. I can recall my parents telling me when I was a child "you can have as many cats as you want when you move out into your own house". Well if by cats they meant tombstones and skeletons so be it! I take great pride in my halloween display and it takes a lot of time (my time with NO help from anyone). FYI: My house is clean, my bills are paid, food is in the fridge, kids are clothed, and I have a job. Most importantly my husband loves me and doesn’t have a problem with it, so mind your own fucking business. It would be like telling my husband he’s got too many paint brushes, or telling my son he's got too many video games, or my daughter she's got too many barbies.

So if your planning on having some type of talk with me or intervention maybe you should re-think this cause your not going to be happy with what I have to say in return... You can always take a step into the complaint department, there are two middle fingers awaiting your arrival.

On a good note there are only 187 days left till Halloween. Within the next few weeks I’m going to be corpsing my bucky’s, exciting!!!! Will post up pics when finished. For now here are some stills from my halloween jackpot I hit this weekend.

OCD

Only 7 more months till Halloween. Yes, I think I have OCD when it comes to Halloween. I've been thinking about Halloween for well over several months now. Where to find bargains online and how to build props of my very own. I want to improve my Halloween display and make it more realistic looking. I've been on this website non-stop http://www.halloweenmonsterlist.info/ gathering up new ideas. I love when people share their projects!!!

Rewinding back to October 31, 2009, we had a Halloween party that turned out great, I used dry ice for my very first time. Next time I wont make so many sweets. I had so many cupcakes and cake left over. All my ghoulish guests loved the hot food I served. A fellow witch by the name of Jessica shared her receipe for pumpkin seeds, they turned out awesome, I winded up making several to-go-bags. Since Halloween lands on a Sunday this year, I am considering having my party on the 29th or the 30th. Oh and note to self not to purchase so much candy, we still have bags hiding in a closet.

Shopping the weekend after Halloween to catch deals! I picked up some spine chilling stuff. Tried to hide most of the things and bought some more plastic storage bins so Tim wouldn't see. *witch cackle* A few items I purchased before Halloween but were broken items in the store I got for a steal, need some love n' care and will be worked on soon.

Last month the kids and I took a little ride through some old cemeteries in Fairburn. Seen some headstones dated back to the early 1800's! We just got back from Clermont, Florida this weekend and to my surprise there was spanish moss growing naturally on the trees. So much of it! The trees looked so creepy, I immediately took notice. Although I forgot to collect some for home, I would love to recreate the look for my tree out front. Make note.... I'll be back!!!!!

Here's a list of my projects for this year:
Corpsing my Bucky's
Making more of the fence I made last year, so the cemetery completely closed in.
Adding finials to the fence
Creating zombie ground breakers - goal is to make things move this year!
(this list will grow, and exists in my Halloween journal)

I think with a little help from Tim's crazy brain and his expertise in art, shits gonna be awesome this Halloween!!!!

Haunted House

So my ghoul-friends and I went and checked out Netherworld. Claimed to be the best thing on the planet or something? We did have a lot of fun though. We all had lil bottles of Jack Daniels, and I brought everyone these strawberry cream shots. Taken from Netherworld FAQ page: Do you serve alcoholic beverages? NO! And they are not allowed on the property, so please do not bring any.

Jessica brought glow necklaces for all of us, she also brought some Lays Chip chasers for the JD. I made some sugar cookies shaped as bats, pumpkins and ghosts. Jessica totally knew I made them with the help of Pillsbury. Haaa This all made the lines tolerable.

Lots of laughs and lots of screams later, I loved the real haunted house "look" inside. I particularly didn't care for the spinning room and that room that caved in and looked like poo. I about had a conniption fit when I saw the walls closing in and I see Lorraine on the other side. Rebbecca made a great tour guide with her devil pitch fork glow stick. The second haunted house was short lived. Thought I had more fun in the 2nd one. That may have been because I was in front and not seeing what to expect, as I was towards being in the middle the first time around.

I got some great ideas on decorating because of course I sucked all of that into my brain. I finally realized what those web sling glue guns are and decided I really need one. ;)

I had a great time with the girls and hopefully will make this a tradition amongst the bitches & betches, and go again next year.

In the meantime I am pretty much finished outside decorating, minus the strobe lights and fog machines. Added a lil fresh live moss, thanks to my co-worker. I used them around the hands and zombies coming out of the ground.

Finishing up the loose ends on planning the halloween party. Don't think I'll be able to do a kid party on Friday. :( this saddens me - but I've just got too much on my plate with my own party - it's called my brain! *cackles* We'll see...

Kids got their costumes this weekend. Jade is a Spider Countess and Dylan is a Wolf. On Sunday night the whole family dressed in our costumes and watched Halloween shows on TV after dinner. - A day in the life of the McGrath home. ;)

This weekend I would like to take the kids to the Haunted Hill and check that place out.

Until then my fellow ghouls, there's only 10 more days left till Halloween!

I'll meet you at the cemetry gates

So, I started decorating on the last weekend of September, thank the ghouls I started early because last weekend there was a lot of rain. The first two pictures is the fence I made all by myself. Some of the pictures will show you some of the creations that I previously blogged about, you'll get to see the finished products now. As you enter my cemetery, note the smoke machines and strobe lights are not up yet, they will be on the weekend of Halloween.

Now, I will take you from the porch in the front of my house and into the dead end cemetery...

We've only just begun...
and so it begins... (real black light - purchased at Home Depot) the ones you get at the halloween stores are just purple lights (FYI). Also my favorite and one of my very first halloween decorations is the Crypt Keeper my mom got me many years ago.

Here's the potion jars... with flash
and without flash under black light! (use tonic water for the glowing effect). My spirit ball witch... she's a funny one!
Another potion jar and my cauldron.


My front door.


Dylan's costume from last year, mannequin head and body I made out of chicken wire!

This is my halloween boyfriend, he doesn't have a name other than "my boyfriend", he no longer is scaring the pants off my friend, Kim. haaaaa
The walkway...

You will now enter the cemetery... ps: those are not orbs from the cemetery, it's just a lil rain.
with flash!


don't fear the reaper



with flash!
without flash!

Tim's part in decorating was adding and inserting this shovel ;)


Not sure why my skeletons are all drunk in the graveyard...

the pumpkin king!
another one of my faves... the candelabra with flicker bulbs. One has bats the other a witch.



my North Carolina ceramic pumpkin my mom got me. I had two some devil child stole the other





Oddly enough... the only decorations in my house.
This last picture is for Tim (inside joke, because we're pranksters.... he scared me 2x this morning. So while he was taking a shower I threw cold water over the curtain. heeeee
24 more days till Halloween!!!!