after action report

Halloween is over and I'm still a little disappointed with the way things went this year. Because of commitments outside of the Haunt stuff I didn't get as much time to do props as I'd planned. Then I had sinus surgery the week before, so a lot of the little things I was planning on didn't happen either. so while overall, the outside was a lot like last year and the inside was improved a little, there is so much that is "in-progress" or not even started.

Lighting is a big problem, both inside and out. We had a little more light outside, but not enough. Inside, there was too much light I think. I want to change that up for next year, bringing the stringed lights to the floor, rather than the overhead. That should create just enough light to place your feet, and do some up-lighting creating shadows. I also want to use spot lights, so people can only see what I want them to see.

I have a few of the projects to hand and I want to keep working on them now. Tonight I'll work on the dream catchers, which I have the hoops here, the cord to do it. I'll have to locate feathers and beads to dress them, but I think I can finish those tonight.

I also have a stack of books in the living room that are ready for titles to be placed on them. I will try to work on those next. I also intend to work some SCA projects through out the year along side the Haunt stuff, so there won't be so much crunch time issues.

catching up to Halloween

I have been thoroughly distracted by my SCA commitments for the last several months. Even last month when I should have been prop building I was off playing with enameling for a dear friend's elevation. That elevation is tomorrow, so I'm looking at Sunday to be the real start of my prop building season. I have had to make some adjustments, because of time and money. The new gravestones will mostly not happen this year, though I have come up with an alternative, recycled so therefore a free, material, that might make a couple possible. And other things are always being reviewed and repurposed all the time. Such as the pvc pipe tube and scraps that I'd made a bow case out of years ago, that I no longer have the bow for. Those pieces will be cut up for candles, and there's plenty of pipe, so I won't need to purchase any of that. There's also a smaller diameter pvc pipe from a camp shower that I'd made years ago and I don't think I've ever used, that will go to the portable hole attachment for the tombstones as well as the frame for the spider victim and the ghoul on one of the new stones. I should be able to make a charger plate worth of taper candles with a set of flicker lights. I've been picking up the flicker tea lights all summer as I've had coupons and was at hobby lobby for other things so I have a fairly decent stash now.
I know that I need the lanterns for the walkway from the street. I have the clay and designs for that project. I was also considering what else is stashed in the garage and I seem to recall a box of landscaping lights that have never been installed. I believe they are electrical, and I don't recall much else about them, except that I'd bought them on clearance, when I'd lived in another house, something like 12 years ago. It's past time to get them out and use them. I am hoping that I will be able to make a lantern that just slips over the existing light and I'm done. That would mean I could use my lanterns in other places and ways at other times.
So many projects I have just waiting for me to get time to sit down and work on them. I have my calendar marked, it's 38 days to Halloween, and one week before I wanted to start putting things out. My thought is to start with things close to the house and work my way out through the yard, building up to Halloween. Then on the last day I don't have to do as much set up. That's the theory anyway.

regarding the last post

Sucks that for some reason that the link I had carefully typed in because it wouldn't copy/paste, is gone in the final post. so, for those might be what to know what I'm going on about, it's from the Bradford Exchange, called the Bastion of Fire. Ccool dragon coiled around a candle stick with a huge faceted gem on the top with a candle flame

Futures Projects

This little gem showed up in someone's mail today. I really like the piece, except it is only 8 inches tall and $30 plus shipping and handling. It does beg to be a future project though. I could see taking say, an old floor lamp, create a dragon wrapping around pole, the large crystal at the top with a place for the candle/flickering bulb might be tricky, but it could be done with maybe a ring of crystals maybe? The flyer is getting tucked into the haunt book and I'll have to see what I can come up with. I can't put this on the list for this year, unless I can figure out how to pull it off with only a day or two of work, and minimal cost.

In other works, I finished the Weyward sisters' painting. Although I'd originally planned to make it an oil painting, it didn't happen that way. I'd had the sketch on the canvas for several months and I decided I was procrastinating on the painting because I'm not super comfortable with the oils yet. I switched to acrylics and it came together in a couple of evenings. I'm quite pleased with it. It also encouraged me to look at the paints and toss out a number that were no longer viable, for one reason or another. That box is now half empty. I might look over the box and see if there are any basics I don't have, but i think I have the primaries so I'm covered. I do want to make more of my paintings with mixing my own colors, whether oil, acrylic or gouache.

I has a great time at the thrift store today, purchasing bottles of various sizes for potions, witches ingredients, and other strange specimens. Also as I went by the curtains and such section, it occurred to me that some of the old lace style curtains would work just fine for a ghost or two, and a panel that is 60" wide and 84" long, that's 2 and a thirds yard for 1.99, is a much better deal that most sources for cheese (or mummy) cloth. I also found some inexpensive, thin white cloth, about 8 yards for 6-7 dollars. that will also work for ghosts.
Let's see, what else have I been doing... last week was bunches of snakes and other other creatures for the specimens last week. A couple of inexpensive divination cards, so there's no worry if someone decides to keep a souvenir. I also have the materials to do the mosaic on the bookshelf, which is sitting in the hall waiting to be pulled out of the box and put together. I really need some time away from other things (like work and SCA) to work some projects. Muffie is still in the kitchen in pieces. I need to do another layer or two of papier mache on her feet and arms, maybe her head too, before I assemble her body. I have a wig and her dress on hand, so those things are ready to go together.

So, that's where I've been lately, thinking I need to pick up a large tub for fabric storage for the Haunt. I have at least two or three pieces for it already.

OH YEAH, I did have a major windfall last week regarding the Haunt. I'd asked a gardening friend if she could collect some plant materials for me, to hang as herbs. I told her it didn't matter if they were actual herbs, just something with character that I can label and hang. I also suggested any cool roots or branches that would make wands would be welcomed. I got a couple of things, one was a large trash bag full of black plastic tablecloths. Another was a bag of felt scraps, black, red and maybe some other colors. and there was a number of glass domes which will be great for specimens. But the best part of it all was a paperbox lid full of premade wands, complete with tags. there were a couple of bunches of wands, with tags of the wood used and others without. All of those were prepped for wand making. That means that I can mark wands off my list. I certainly don't need to make more!! Thanks Debora and Lizz for the gift.

Chip and Muffie

So here they are, Muffie and Chip. Chip's the one with the lego chin rest. There was so much clay used to build up his face on the wig head that it tends to tip over at the slightest touch. Given that the cats like to wander through the work table here I leave the chin rest in place during the day, and especially when I'm working on him.

This is the third layer of paper on them, still sticky wet. The first two layers of paper were newspaper, this was office paper, scrounged from the daily grind. I just made sure it went on with the white side out so I could try to get a feel for how much detail I've losted. Their upper lips seems to be gone and the deep lines I'd gotten in there to show an expression seems to be gone too. Still, enough detail remains for this project.

Tomorrow when they are dry I'll be cutting them off the wig heads and begin the shoulders for Muffie, hands for them both and maybe feet for Muffie too, depends on how late I have to work tomorrow. Tonight my energy was gone pretty early.

Zombies are coming!

The plan is coming together for my zombies. Oh, yes, a deviation from the plan.

Instead of your run of the mill zombie hanging out in the front yard, I decided my guy needed a friend and I have the bits to put together a girl, and so I have this couple, that I decided to make homecoming king and queen zombies. Their names are Chip and Muffie. I have started with their heads. I took wig heads and some modeling clay to first make the head more proportional to a real human head, then there was some expression added. Next step was to cover in plastic wrap and then papier-mâché. I have the second layer drying right now. Tonight I plan to add a third layer. Tomorrow when that third layer is dried, I'll be cutting the heads off the wig heads. I expect to seal up that cut as I attach to the main frame of the zombies.

Muffie is going to be a lot more papier-mâché work that ole Chip, since her dress is a wide open neckline and short sleeves. While Chip's limbs will be mostly constructed from the heavy cardboard tubes from industrial paper rolls (about 3 1/2" in diameter) Muffie's lower legs and arms are going to be a base of dowel rods inserted into pool noodles, then covered in papier-mâché. The tubes are just too large to pass as a female's limbs - well, a teenage one that isn't oversized anyway. Since I expected the lower portion of her dress to be in tatters and nosey neighbor kids, I'll be making from the knee down a shaped leg, complete with feet that will fit into a pair of cast off shoes.

My next papier-mâché endeavor will be their hands, and her limbs and shoulders.

I have a complex form laid out for Chip's frame, using the tubes and spacers to get the width desired. I have also been working on how to make the arms adjustable. My preference is to make them adjustable, since I see them raised, reaching out for their victims. But storing them like that could be problematic, so I want to be able to lower the arms. And maybe standing there with their arms hanging, perhaps moving with the wind would be cool too. I'd like to keep the options open as much as possible.

I have an old formal that has been used for various occasions, dress, etc and is ready to move on to its new role as Muffie's prom dress. It's going to be needing some distressing, that I hope I'll be done with mostly by the time her body is ready . I have a prop wig for her, but will need one for him, and I will be looking for a tiara for her and one of those big purple velvet lined crowns for him, as well as sashes for both.

Their last item on the list is their ability to call out for brains when someone walks by. I have a Billy Bass plaque that I'll be working on to rework it to play mp3s, since it already has the motion sensor and ability to play something, so it should be a piece of cake, right?

Tomorrow I will take pictures before I cut the papier-mâché off the wig heads. I meant to take one of the modeled faces, but forgot, so I'm hoping the faces underneath won't be distorted by all this.

Progess, small but steady

I'm still collecting bottles and things for the potion shelf. I also picked up some black craft foam to make bat wings. I'm a little distracted from these projects by the local SCA event that is in two weeks. still have lots of the costume to do and keep coming up with more stuff.... Which is what I do here too I guess, because there are a lot of things on the list and even if I manage to get something done, two more things take it's place. well, for now that is all alex