House of Shadows

Hi Everybody!  I’m back after a somewhat longer than anticipated holiday break.  Like many areas across the US we were buried by snow storms that are just moving on.  In some areas this is not unexpected during the winter, but our community rarely has snow on the ground for more than a day or two.  My husband’s wish to have a white Christmas was granted. But along with that wish came three weeks of slipping and sliding; carrying water out to the barn through two feet of snow because the pipes were frozen, hiking up snow-covered hills to get groceries to our kids, and convincing our couch -potato dog that is was time to go out for a break.  It was a challenging but enjoyable holiday that made me feel much younger than my years.

As the new year approached, I found myself thinking about a great number of challenges we have faced in the past few years and life goals I set aside until better times arrived.  Suddenly some words of wisdom posted by an acquaintance on the Halloween Forum caught my attention:  “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain”.  This is something I paused to contemplate because the post was directed at one of our forum members who is recovering from a heart attack.  Then as I was contemplating my future and the meaning of life, a friend e-mailed a video from dogwork.com.   It showed the hilarious antics of  a dog named “Bailey” enjoying a romp in the snow.  It was a double-whammy!  A whack on the side of the head so to speak that reminded me to enjoy each day as it comes.

I don’t believe in New Year’s Resolutions but I do believe in setting goals.   So my friends in the coming year my goals will include; remembering to do things that are important to me “NOW” because now is all we really have and to approach each day with an attitude of playful enthusiasm.

Take a minute to enjoy the video of “Bailey The Unknown Reindeer”. There really is so much you can learn from a dog!

http://www.dogwork.com/dogsnow/

My next post will feature “The Well Stocked  Witches Kitchen”.  Until next time…

Thank you for being our guest at the House of Shadows!

I like to consider making things that are perhaps a bit non-traditional for a Halloween haunt.  Things that are creepy, and unexpected.  Visitors can usually count on finding ghosts, skeletons, skulls, and some form of ground breakers…but what about tucking a goth looking doll under the shadow of shrubs, or placed lovingly next to a gravestone.  What a delightfully chilling detail.

Clowns often make people uncomfortable. Imagine the clown in the picture above made into a large scale prop; displayed peering through a window with just the right light to give him the look of a maniacal creature that escaped from the local asylum.  If displayed at the right angle your visitors would be caught of guard by  this fear-causing apparition making their heart skip a beat. Or, he could even be made as a puppet and hung in a corner becoming a presence that makes you keep looking over your shoulder.  It gives me the chills just thinking about finding this guy in the dark.

Many people have fears about dolls, puppets, clowns, or ventriloquist dummies.  I can’t imagine why…but who knows what evil lurks in the darkness of night?  Beware my friends and always check under the bed before you turn out the lights! Until next time …

Thank you for being our guest at the House of Shadows.

Not all Halloween enthusiasts have the time or interest in doing arts and crafts projects, but they do enjoy decorating for the holiday.  It’s always nice to be able to browse through shops and discover new things but I remember well the days when I was working long hours, and doing my best at being a wife, mother and caregiver for parents.  A luxury like shopping was not on the list.  Shopping was often done late at night on the Internet.  The good news about that is I discovered the value of being able to expand my options to find quality collectibles that fit my personal tastes.  Websites like the Halloween Artists http://www.halloweenartists.com/ can be a lifesaver when life gets too busy.  Browsing through the  hand crafted work of these artist’s can be a great escape, or valuable source of inspiration for the DIY Halloween crafter.  Either way, a visit to Halloween Artists is worth your time.

Until next time…

Thank you for being our guest at the House of Shadows

The creativity of Halloween hobbyists is something I genuinely admire.  Some enthusiasts spend hours, or even months building props that are displayed for only a few days, or in some cases a matter of hours each year.  And yet the detail and precision they put into their craft is often equal to that of a professional artist.  As I search for new ideas I have found many talented people who make unique items, ranging from whimsical to dark and eccentric.  Ideas come naturally to some people, but my thought process doesn’t really engage without exploration.  Once I see something that interests me it’s like an explosion of thoughts for how to build from that concept to make a project my own.

I recently discovered some truly creative work listed on the blog “The Art of Alex CF” http://alexcf.com/blog/ Alex describes himself as a professional cryptozoological psuedo-scientific assemblage artist and illustrator.  How’s that for creativity? Perhaps you will find his work imaginative, or some may view it as offensive.  Let your personal style guide your decisions but his site is definitely worth exploring.

This is the seventh post in the series exploring cemetery art as a method for planning my “Beloved” prop to display in a Halloween cemetery. If this is your first visit to the House of Shadows Blog, or you want to read this series from the beginning, go back to “Stories In Stone” posted on November 27.

This is a picture of the dress I bought on eBay to use for my Beloved Project

With a bit of apprehension, I will allow you to look inside my musty brain to see how it puts all of the information I’ve been gathering together to make some early decisions about my Beloved project. Not everyone needs this kind of a planning process, some people are comfortable jumping in with both feet and getting started. That process doesn’t work for me. As you read through my thoughts, I think it will become clear why a detailed planning process is important to me.

The questions below are examples of how you might check your thinking, if you want, or need to make the best use of your time and investment in your Halloween hobby.

• Is your display area large or small?

My Halloween cemetery display may be started in the back yard and moved to the front yard over time. Either way, both yards have about the same dimensions 60″ x 120″ feet. I have plenty of room for large props. In fact, large props will be more effective than small props.

• Will visitors view your props close up, or from a distance?

If the graveyard is displayed in the backyard, props will be viewed close-up; less viewing distance means the scale of the lettering is less of an issue but I also think it takes away some of the “creepy factor”. Displaying the graveyard in the front yard means props will be viewed from a distance so details need to be larger so they can be seen. The difference between setting up in the front or the back is security. We live on a heavily traveled six lane street with a lot of walking traffic in front of the house at all hours of the night.

• What is the overall theme of your display?

My taste is very traditional. Our home and the homes around us were built in the early 1900’s in a historic area of our city; that is the time period I would like our displays to reflect. Our displays will never depict blood and gore for two reasons: 1) I think illusions are more powerful, like a noise heard faintly in the background, something you feel or believe you see lurking in the shadows, etc.; and 2) I have two year old grandson and I want him to enjoy the display… not be traumatized by the experience.

• Will the prop be heavy or awkward to move?

I gained useful insight from my friend Terra’s experience about designing grip space into a prop with a larger base. I also think if I position the mourning lady’s figure in a more upright position I can build a smaller, more vertical prop that requires less wood framing to keep the prop as light as possible.

• What are your time and budgetary issues?

Early retirement means I have more time than money. I have medical issues that limit my ability to do physical activities for extended periods of time, so planning early allows me to fit the project into the budget and work at a pace that fits my lifestyle. My next steps will be to make a supply list, check off what I have and gather supplies I still need. I can begin by checking off the dress. √

• Will the prop be weather proof in rainy conditions?

Rain is a big concern for me because I live in the Pacific Northwest. This prop will be well-sealed with the process Terra used. She applied an undercoat of monster mud, then three coats of Drylock  were used as the top coat to waterproof her Beloved prop. The prop was exposed to rainy Fall weather for a month and showed no signs of weather damage, but using this process to seal the project means you have to plan in advance for the loss of detail that will occur.

• How and where will you store large props?

Right now I am lucky to have enough space in the tack room in my barn. But this space is limited so a plan for the future is necessary. We have room to build more outbuildings on our property, or we can rent storage and transport the props in the truck. I would prefer to keep them at home.

Other things I need to consider are modifications to the design I’m using as an inspiration to eliminate the weak points, remembering that my prop will not be made of concrete. Overall I feel the design I have chosen is a good candidate for the project. Now I have to wait for dry weather because the prop will be too hard to get out of the basement if I started now.

In my next post I will be providing links to painting and distressing tutorials that I think are helpful. Until then …

Thank you for being our guest at the House of Shadows!

I have always been known as a detail person, both my in career life and in my home life. If you have been following this blog you may have already guessed that planning is one of the details I enjoy about designing my display.

Today I’m going to discuss some factors to consider in planning for a Halloween graveyard display. This might not be as important for you as it is for me because I have an overactive mind …and I want to do it all. So working through a planning process helps me narrow possibilities down to a list that is practical. A quote from a respected friend helps focus my energy. He said, “If you don’t break your projects into small steps you will work too hard and get less than desired results. It’s like using a five gallon bucket of water to fill a tea cup. All the water splashes out and you end up with very little water in the cup for all your efforts.” That philosophy guides this series so if you can use help with that type of focus stay with me as I continue to develop my personal “bucket list” for designing a “Beloved” tombstone.

This monument appeals to me as a concept for my Beloved project!

The Pros:

• I’m naturally drawn to objects and styles that are classic designs
• I love the curve of the small pedestal the angel is resting her head on
  
• The masonic symbol is easy to recreate, but could be replaced with other designs
  
• The wreath details are easy to duplicate using silk greenery coated with monster mud
• The shape and details of the monument would cast nice shadows when lights are on at night
• The higher base could be useful in building a more compact prop than traditional designs

The Cons:

• The position of the extended arm and hand are a vulnerable breaking point
• Shell ornaments on the corners of the pedestal are also vulnerable to breakage
  
• Size of lettering is limited by the pedestal shape and hard to see from a distance
• Without the Angel’s wings, rescaling of the pedestal will be required for better balance

In my next post I will break these pros and cons down to explore how they fit into my overall plans for the future of my Halloween display, skills and resources, and space as it relates to both display and storage. The questions I pose should easily translate into your own planning process. Until then …

Thank you for being my guest at the House of Shadows. I hope to see you again soon!

This is the third article in the cemetery art series; which is a study of the expression of sorrow through body language used in grave markers and monuments. If this is your first visit to the House of Shadows or you want to begin reading this series from the beginning go back to the post of November 27, “Stories In Stone”.

I had a epiphany of sorts as I searched through pictures of graveyard art to study statuary representing grieving. My search began as a way to plan for the design of my “Beloved” prop based on a typical scene of a grieving widow draped over what is assumed to be her lover’s tomb. I have seen “Beloved” props inscribed in two different ways. One is a simple inscription on the tomb that reads “Beloved” and the other has the additional inscription “Beneath this simple stone, my beloved sleeps alone.”

As I continued to look at pictures, it occurred to me that often times a monument represents grief over the loss of an infant or child. So my first assumption of a prop depicting a wife mourning the loss of a husband was a limited perspective. A “Beloved” prop could be designed to express the grief of a mother who mourns the loss of a child. You might say, “If a woman is mourning the loss of a loved one, what difference does it make if it is a husband, child, or infant?” While it is true that you may not see a difference in body language, you might see a difference in the ornamentation used on the tomb. This would open more possibilities for how you want to design your prop to make it uniquely yours.

There is another detail that also offers flexibility. I’m designing my prop based on a dress I bought on eBay. However, many mourning figures are portrayed by simply using fabric to drape around a body. This effect could be recreated in a prop by loosely sculpting a body shape from wire, using a wig head, and draping the shape with burlap before applying monster mud. Sometimes the hands show and other times they don’t, so you can choose to attempt sculpting hands or just give an illusion of hands under the cloth. So don’t let the lack of the right dress or garment stop you from trying something different than what you have already seen.

Here are a few more pictures to study before I move on to ornamentation tomorrow. My mind is becoming over stimulated with possibilities now …

Thank you for visiting the House of Shadows Blog. Come back often!