Tag Archives: halloween

Scary Halloween Decorations on a Budget

Halloween is the BEST time of year for decorations. Cutesy, happy flourishes are for the other holidays. With Halloween, we get to be gritty and spooky. The more horrifying, the better.

Bring on the oozing blood, torn flesh, traumatizing, eyeless spirits and creepy-crawly spiders!

Oh yes, there are no decorating possibilities quite like those in October.

Now, you can easily deck your lawn out with pre-made figures from your local Halloween shop to achieve this frightening effect. However, in order to do so you’ll end up shelling out a hefty amount of dough. There’s a reason Halloween decor spending has been on the rise. That shyte is expensive. I propose a DIY alternative, that is easy to pull off and provides results that are just as likely to frighten small children and grown men.

  • Check your local thrift stores and/or yard sales for some second-hand baby doll toys and styling heads.
  • Pick up some cheap mock tomb stones at your local dollar store, or make your own out of cardboard and/or styrofoam.
  • Using an exact-knife and black and red permanent markers, gash up and draw all over the toy dolls. Blacken the teeth on the styling heads, and maybe cut off some of the infants limbs. Roll ‘em around in the dirt a bit, so it fills up the cracks to a realistic degree. Go ahead, be brutal.

  • Place the styling heads in front of the tombstones, so it looks like they are popping up out of their graves.

  • For added gruesomeness, place the baby dolls in some burlap bags, so they look like they are fighting there way out.

Ta-da! Now you have a front yard that not only freaks your neighbors out, but you easily made it happen with less than $10 out-of-pocket.

Do you have any other cheap Halloween decoration ideas you want to share with us? I’d love to hear them!

Treasury Tuesday

‘Ice, Ice Blue Baby’ by quidditydesigns

Blue Topaz Necklace, Sterling Silver and Gemstone, Cornflower Blue Wire Wrapped Stones - waterwaif Crocheted Cream Cowl Wool Blend Scarf Bulky and Oversized, Wheat, Fall Fashion - whiskeyish Blue Gemstone Stacking Ring , 14kt gold and Silver - Made to Order - houseonhudson Wood Owl Buttons - Five - Woodland Creature - Natural - grimmlynn
Frothy, light winter scarf in soft blue, white and mint green - WrensNestCreations Light blue clip card case - ravenshold Bay Rum Bar Soap - Vegan - Bay, Lime and Orange - HaloSoap Hand Crochet Wire Ocean Blue Bracelet by PrayerMonkey - PrayerMonkey
Wuthering Heights quotation hand painted light blue card - whatever our souls are made of - PemberleyPond Simple Light Blue Turquoise Rose Earring Posts - Glamour365 Vintage Light Blue 1950s Samsonite Luggage Case / Wardrobe - reAwesome Pair of Rooster Egg Cups in Stoneware with Light Blue Glaze - gutentagfibers
Fabric Plastic Grocery Bag Holder Smoky Light Blue and White Flourish - ablemabel Bubble shibori triangle scarf,shawl,light blue and green,multicolor,fashion,woman - Accessories4women Ice Crystal Blue Bracelet 8.5 inches - LoveMeOrnamentals Sad Gwenn magnet - PetitsPixels

‘Nightmare on 9th St’ by VintageAlabama

Rustic Vintage Street Sign Black and White Industrial Decor - JoliesCutesies Bow hair tie, Vintage Inspired Head Scarf, Black with POLKA dots, Rockabilly, Retro, 1940s,1950s - OhHoneyHush Haunted Halloween castle hidden message inside miniature tower built by hand from recycled fine silver, "The Renhewitz Tower" - DreamofaDream Spider Earrings - Halloween Earrings - Grey Crystal Rondelle Beads, Chain Dangle Earrings - AbstractAverun
Black vase with included black branches / spooky Halloween Home Decor / Painted branches for vase / black decor - CarriageOakCottage Black Triangle Czech Beads 11mm (16) Pressed Opaque Geometry Arrows - LaserBeads halloween ghost paper garland, BOO,decoration - JDooreCreations Paper Drinking Straws (25) - BLACK & WHITE - with FREE 5x7 Party Invitation Download - ButtercreamDreamShop
Bird Created From Flying Birds Art Print A3, Black and White Art, Bird Art, Modern Art, Wall Art Home Decor - Mysoulfly Tibetan Black Quartz Point Silver Wire Wrapped Pendant Necklace - Wire Wrap Jewelry - OWLandHOURGLASS Black Women Fingerless gloves, crochet  crocodile stitch mittens, cute arm warmers, autumn accessory - mareshop Twilight Black Wire Crochet Necklace with Silver Star and Hemite Beads - GloryGift
I Love Zombies- Black Bottle Cap Button Bow Hair Clip - ProjectPinup Evil Eyes Bracelet - Halloween Jewelry - Beaded in Green and Black, Cuff Ties with Black Ribbon - MegansBeadedDesigns Lace trim, linen lace trim, black lace trim, halloween - SuppliesForHandmade Howlite Dagger Earrings, White Turquoise Earrings, Natural Earrings, Howlite Spike Earrings, Antique Brass Chain. Urban Tribal. - PiggleAndPop

‘monday, 2#’ by piabarile

Fabric necklace yoyo bib statement piece in orange halloween jewelry - violasboutique Halloween Crazy Chick Ornament - AtelierDenise Halloween earrings set - Jack Skellington pumpkin jewelry - Nightmare Before Christmas - Boo, orange - small earrings - Free shipping - SecretFind Farm Gate - Halloween - FarmhouseMud
Halloween Boo- Flour Sack Towel, Tea Towel, Fall, Kitchen, Home, Cotton, Autumn, Home Decor - AppleWhite Pumpkin Necklace and Earrings Set. Halloween Jewelry. - JujuTreasures Halloween hearts decoration - black and orange felt gift tags - spooky home decor - FishesMakeWishesHome Autumn - Halloween - Orange - Black Sequin Earrings - Interchangeable Earrings - Zalooza
Halloween, Plastic Case,  iPhone 4 Case,  iPhone 4s case, October Trends, Autumn, Fall, Moon, Black, Orange Yellow - 8daysOfTreasures Halloween Ghost with Boo Fingerless Gloves / Hand Knit Gloves And Crochet  Ghost / Black color. Halloween Costume. - gloveshop 8Bit Balloons card, pixel halloween birthday notecard - blackbirdandpeacock Necklace Black Heart Halloween Autumn Bridesmaid Lampwork Heart - Thebracelettree
Vintage Porcelain Doll Hands - 2 Pair Doll Making Supply - Altered Art - Halloween - Doll Parts - NifticVintage Halloween set of black and orange notebooks (journals) - Buntmal Evil Eye Halloween Pendant Necklace on a Black Cord with Green and Black Beads - MegansBeadedDesigns color pencil earring studs, The Halloween Edition, set of 2 pairs - huiyitan

Saturday Styleboard – Masquerade

Green Masquerade

R Yew Skeered Yet?

Halloween party

Halloween party

So I feel pretty Halloweened out already. Haha. This past weekend was a Halloween-Bash bananza. On Thursday night we went to Silverwood Theme park over in Idaho for their Scarywood Halloween special. One of the best Haunted houses (The Blood Bayou) I’d seen in a long time! They did an awesome job. Oh, and there is the zombie express, which means we got to ride a train that was being chased by zombies. What could be more awesome than being chased by zombies? I can’t think of much. Then on Friday we got all prettied-up in our Halloween costumes for the first party of the season. Late into the night we sported too-high heels and obnoxious wigs. Totally worth it though. Everyone thought my eye make-up was pretty rad and asked how long it took me. I was pretty prideful in being able to say, only about 30 minutes. Heck yes. We followed all of this with a visit to the Amazing Corn Maze the following day. It poured buckets of rain on us and was freezing as hell, but all worth it to be part of the Halloween experience.

Halloween Bracelet Patterns Collection - $9.95

Halloween Bracelet Patterns Collection - $9.95

Halloween isn’t over yet though! Still got one more week to enjoy the festivities. I think I’ll slow down a bit on big celebratory events, but that doesn’t mean I won’t continue to read spooky books and pop in the horror films of my choice. (LOVE scary movies!) Here’s a list of the some of the books I have read/listened to, the movies I recommend if you want something to curl up on the couch to and hide your face in your pillow during some of the very scary parts. Also, a few accessories that make the boring days at the office have some festive fun.

Halloween Cupcake Earrings - $5

Halloween Cupcake Earrings - $5

          Scary Movie 4It, by Stephen King A Dirty Job, by Christopher Moore


Scary Movie 4
– The funniest of the spoof movies yet! No matter how many times I watch this movie, it makes me crack up every time!
It, by Stephen King – One of the BEST scary reads sure to keep you up late at night with the flashlight on
A Dirty Job, by Christopher Moore – a quirky, humorous story about a beta male who finds himself in the position of being death. Full of lots of laughs and underworld demons, what could be better?

Halloween Cake Earrings - $9

Halloween Cake Earrings - $9

            Gravedancers Full Dark No Stars, by Stephen King Pet Sematary

Gravedancers – an oober-scary horror flick with plenty of scenes that will make you jump out of your seat and have your rooting for the heroes. Great fro late-night cuddling with lots of popcorn!

Full Dark No Stars, by Stephen King – Can you tell I'm a huge Stephen King fan? Even though i love just about everything he's written, I do have to say that this is a collection of some of his best work. These stories are somewhat painful to read, but excellently written, and every sentence feels very real and true. I highly recommend.

Pet Sematary – If you are one of those complainers (like me) who thinks that today's scary movies simply aren't scary anymore, then do not be afraid to go back to this oldie but goodie. By far one of the scariest movies I've ever seen, this one is sure to stick in your head long after the credits roll. Just as a good horror flick should!

Have your own recommendations? Feel free to leave them in the comments section! I’d love to see what they are!

Grasping for the Halloween Spirit

I don’t know why, but I’m having trouble getting into the Halloween spirit. This is usually not that difficult for me, Halloween is easily the most fun holiday to decorate for (and dress up for). Not being allowed to celebrate it growing up due to my parents’ over-bearing religious tendencies, I’ve embraced the October festivities with full-force since departing from the household I grew up in. Maybe the rebelliousness is just starting to wear off?

Drop of Blood Necklace - $18.00

Drop of Blood Necklace - $18.00

Or maybe working for a costume store last year ruined it for me. It did last year, I’ll tell you that right now. I was working at this Halloween store every day after getting off work from my day job at 4. We would close at midnight or later the closer it got to Halloween, and all of the last-minute costume shoppers would squeeze themselves into stripper outfits three-times too small and fling the closest pumpkin outfit on their child to call it good. Needless to say chasing down the shop lifters and helping to zip-up one too many skimpy outfits at the fitting rooms was a bit much. I came home exhausted, with the Monster Ball jingle stuck in my head. I was Halloweened-out. I did not attend a single Halloween party, so it didn’t matter that I got that awesome 25% employee discount on costumes, I sure as hell wasn’t going to get the chance to wear any of them.

Spider Necklace - $11.95

Spider Necklace - $11.95

So needless to say, when the manager of said Halloween shop asked me if I would work for him again this year, I politely turned him down. I wanted to have fun with Halloween this year. Working at a Halloween store was too much of a Halloween overload, and not in a good way. Now I just need to get out of the funk and get excited about the fact that I’ll actually have the time to attend some events and parties in costume and everything. My husband is already there. He’s been slaving away making a costume replica of his character in the Fallout 3 video game. He’s gone so far as burying articles of clothing underground and digging them up days later–so they look good and weathered. He’s painted a Nerf
Halloween Beading Pattern - $3.95

Halloween Beading Pattern - $3.95

gun and filled it with weights so it’s good and heavy, and sliced up bits of tire to use as armor. Needless to say, I feel pretty lame when people ask me, “Who are you gonna be?” and I respond, “Uhm, well, I have an Eve costume I’m thinking of using for a Poison Ivy costume…” Pretty lame, right?

Well this week I’m going to Scarywood over at Silverwood theme park in Idaho, and hitting up my first Halloween party on Friday night. Hopefully between those two events, the fact that my husband has put up our outdoor decorations, I’ll manage to get into the spirit. We’ll also be carving our our pumpkins this week. Now… just what to carve…

Darkness is Just Around the Corner

‘They are here!’ by purepixie


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Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Totally Tourist

Back from vacation. Whew! Why is it that my vacations always tend to be more exhausting than my actual work week? Haha. At least it was full of exhausting fun! As I mention in my previous post, Vacation Experimentation, I went to the Magical Kingdom of Disney land, along with the Scaryied-up version of Universal Studios in California. Talk about a great time of year to go. The weather was perfect. Sun-shiny with high 70s and low 80s registered on the thermometer. Only a bit of sprinkling rain on Tuesday, our last day at Disneyland, but that just meant no lines for all of the awesome rides while other people ran for cover! And not to mention all of the finishing Halloween touches, all of which made the “Magic Kingdom” all that more magical.

I totally enjoying being a complete tourist while at the Disney park. My girlfriend and I that went totally wore matching Mickey shirts, and I frikin rocked those ears, man. No shame. With 4 days at Disneyland (and California Adventure) and 1 at Universal, I don’t think we had to miss much. All 4 days at the Disney parks we were able to hit both parks. On the day we had the “magic morning” pass, we were literally at the Disney parks from 6:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. after the park closed. See what I mean about my vacation being exhausting?!?

Universal Studios was conducting their Halloween Horror nights when we went, but unfortunately we weren’t able to stay for them too late because of transportation needs. It was still awesome to see all of the terribly disgusting zombie and dead body displays all over the park. I’m a sucker for a terrific time. *evil grin* Needless to say, at all of the park we had a complete blast. Just two couples, enjoying themselves on vacation. I tried not to worry about any of my jobs or my Etsy shops while I was away.

Of course, I couldn’t help but worry just a little. I had left two of my shops open, my MegansBeadedDesigns shop and Glamour365. I had posted vacation messages in my announcement and in every single one of my item listings, making it clear that anything ordered would be shipped as soon as I got back. I didn’t want to loose any of my search ranking, or any possible sales while I was away for just a week. Unfortunately I didn’t receive any sales, and though I was placed in a few treasuries, I don’t think my shops got very much attention while I was gone. And now that I am back and have been trying desperately to get them up to speed again, they seem to be at a stand-still. It’s very strange considering how well they were doing before. It seems like the negative effects of going on vacation mode happened anyway. Ah, well. It’ll just take a bit more work than I had hoped, but not all is lost. Besides, it was totally worth it to be a complete tourist for a week.

Excited for Halloween?

‘The Good Witch’ by Lolailo

Well, maybe she wasn’t exactly good, but she was beautiful


$488.00

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Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Eeery, Spooky and Genius

Maybe it has to do with my inner rebel self and the fact that I wasn’t allowed to celebrate Halloween as a kid, that I overcompensate and go nutzo over the October festivities in my adult years. I bought some of my first decorations yesterday form he Halloween store I work at part time. Because every household needs to have a severed limb or two laying around. My fiance is already having a fabulous time thinking of the possibilities of sticking the hand and leg in strange places throughout the house for my sister to discover and lose a few years of her life with fright. Within the next couple of weeks we should be getting our ensemble of decorations put up in our front yard. This is our first year with a house instead of an apartment, so all of the possibilities of utilizing all of our new space is almost mind-boggling. Usually we start by shopping for some old baby dolls and used barbie heads at some local thrift shops. Then My fiance goes crazy with paint, black marker, and a sharp knife. Before you know it, we have severed zombie babies, and rising dead barbie heads popping out from behind Styrofoam gravestones.

Yes, I know you are all very excited to see. So keep tuned, pics of our Halloween decor shall be coming soon!