Stopped by a couple local cemeteries yesterday and took some photos. My plan is to print them and replace any framed images in the house with these. I did a little playing around with them to make them more interesting.
Been mildly obsessed with Halloween cookies lately. Thought I’d post some that I found nice.
Perhaps some un-dead gingerbread men?
Bones
Gourmet Eyeball Cookies
I’m thinking of doing a simple dipped oreo for my party. Boring, yes, but I think I might dip them in white chocolate, dyed red, of course.
I agonized over the invites entirely too long. First it was going to be individual foam tombstones. Then it was going to be cardstock coffins, then it was going to be a gate-folded card with elaborate cut-outs… This was just easiest. I had to find a font that didn’t make it look pirate-y, but I think it turned out alright. It’s resume paper with burned edges. About 4″x6″.
2010 Bonnie Haunt Invites
Here are some other awesome invites I’ve seen lately:
Charisma's 2008 X-ray Invites
Awesome Tombstone Invite
So many creative people out there!
Based REALLY, REALLY loosely on Dave Lowe’s O’Treaty Lantern [ http://davelowe.blogspot.com/2010/09/otreatys-foamcore-lantern-part-one.html ] with one of my faux candles inside, this is a down and dirty attempt at a foam board lantern. The top is Velcro’d on so I can easily turn the LED tea light off/on. I may try a more elaborate top on the next one, more like Dave’s, maybe. Not bad for taking less than 2 hours from start to finish! 🙂 Like the candles, it will only get better with each iteration.
I’m obsessed with getting these candles right. A few changes to the process:
* I started simply making a “shelf” out of hot glue, around the inside edge where I want the tealight to sit.
* Red Bull cans make GREAT candles… just hack off the tops, give them a base coat of spray paint, add the hot glue (lots for the top sharp edge and lots to hide the ‘can’ bottom – some of mine need a bit more there), and paint again. Drop an led tealight inside and it reflects beautifully. No newspaper needed to hide seams or anything. Any size can works!
* Layers of the hot glue with a “pool” at the bottom looks much better. I do a base coat on everything now.
Latest batch:
My Latest Batch of Candles
I loved the idea of PVC pillar candles using flickering battery tealights, but I didn’t want to spend the money on the pipe or try to cut it myself. I went looking for something easier and found this how-to on Dave Lowe’s blog from 2008 [http://davelowe.blogspot.com/2008/09/08-halloween-20-making-flameless-candle.html]. I love the no-cost approach, but I wanted a cleaner pillar look.
Here’s a video of the first 2 finished:
I’m not crazy about these tealights, so they’ll probably get replaced, but you get the idea. Overall, I’m pleased with the look.
What I did (Probably the hard way):
1. Trim the tubes into different lengths and slice them down one side to open them up.
2. Hot glue in some foam board “shelves” for the tealights to sit on.
3. Reassemble the tubes at the width that will fit the tealights & hot glue them closed.
4. Decopage some newspaper strips around the tubes to hide the seams (I first did them horizontal and then long vertical strips on top). Let dry.
5. I hot glued some glass beads (the kind that go in a vase) to the bottom inside for weight.
6. Hot glue the wax drips (Dave’s post says it best — patience… but there’s really no wrong way). Let dry.
7. Spray paint… I think it would probably work best to start with them upside down on your painting surface and get the paint all around the bottom side of the drips… let dry… then turn them on the right side and paint them again and let dry.
8. I mixed some craft paint to get a color like the spray paint I used and painted then inside of the tube above the foam shelf AND painted the tealights so they match the “candle”.
9. Turn on your tealight and set it inside the pillar.
It’s not high-quality, but looks decent in a dim room. I’ll probably swap out these tealights for some better-flickering ones. But for right now, I haven’t bought a single thing to make them. I had everything on hand already, so they were basically FREE, which is great.
Just about finished with my second-ever tombstone. The epitaphs are all from “Cemetery Gates” by Pantera.
Tombstone #2
I think I’ll start a coffin tomorrow.
I’ve never made a tombstone, and although it’s not finished, I’m having fun with this. It’s made of only 1/2″ thick Foamular, but I’m thinking about addin some side pieces to make it more three-dimensional.
It's about 4' x 2'
Update: Here’s the finished stone.
Finished Tombstone
Taking our inspiration from the Pantera song of the same name [music video on YouTube… wow, that’s a lot of hair], this year’s theme is “Cemetery Gates”. Below are the lyrics of the song. The emphasized lines I’m thinking of using as epitaphs on gravestones in the front yard cemetery. I’ve also posted some inspiration photos.
Reverend, reverend,
Is this a conspiracy?
Crucified for no sins
No revenge… beneath me.
Lost within my plans for life,
It all seems so unreal.
Im a man cut in half in this world, [Would be a great place for half a zombie/groundbreaker, no?]
Left in my misery.
The reverend he turned to me
Without a tear in his eyes.
Its nothing new for him to see,
I didn’t ask him why.
I will remember…
The love our souls had sworn to make.
Now I watch the falling rain
All my mind can see now is your face.
Well I guess
You took my youth
And gave it all away.
Like the birth of a new found joy,
This love would end in rage…
And when she died
I couldnt cry,
The pride within my soul.
You left me incomplete
All alone as the memories now unfold.
Believe the word.
I will unlock my door…
And pass the cemetery gates.
Sometimes when Im alone,
I wonder aloud,
If you’re watching over me
Some place far abound.
I must reverse my life
I can’t live in the past.
Then set my soul free,
Belong to me at last.
Through all those complex years
I thought I was alone.
I didn’t care to look around
And make this world my own…
And when she died
I shouldve cried and spared myself some pain.
You left me incomplete,
All alone as the memories still remain.
The way we were,
The chance to save my soul…
And my concern is now in vain.
Believe the word,
I will unlock my door…
And pass the cemetery… gates
The way we were,
The chance to save my soul…
And my concern is now in vain.
Believe the word,
I will unlock my door…
And pass the cemetery…
Gates!
Gates!
Gates!
haunted reverb 