Future entrance for the graveyard?

Lisa had the great idea of expanding the graveyard we have used the last couple of years and having it include the front driveway as well.  I saw this on the way home from the grocery store and thought it would make a good entrance with the fencing coming off either side.  It should be pretty easy to make with wood internals, styrofoam walls, and Monster Mud finish.  What do you think?

Storage - creative solutions...

I have gotten many questions about where I store all of this Halloween stuff the rest of the year.  It is all about Volume! As in, don't just think about floor space.  Here I use the fencing as a suspended shelf to hold the lighter props above my head in the basement.
Our ceilings are tall enough that I can easily walk under the fencing.

Post Halloween Update - Failure as a Blogger

Halloween has come and gone and while it was a big success (more on that later), I have a ways to go before I can call myself a true blogger.  As the day got closer and closer I found myself with less and less time to update the blog.  I think that is partially because I was looking at the blog as more of a project archive rather than a way to share fun and interesting Halloween related things.  So, as I play catch-up over the next couple of weeks I hope to refine my blogging style and maybe figure out a way to keep this somewhat more active!

6' Armature is complete!

I mentioned it in a previous post, but now have the video and pictures to share.  I will probably end up using screws to secure several of the joints together.  Once I added the foam to the arms and legs and then added the clothes, there is more tension on the joints.  I also ordered two new hands since I only had the one shown in the picture...  They look good, but are too white so I will have to paint them a bit to make them match the mask a little better.

Coffin is complete! (for this year anyway)

I used 3/4" Pine plywood (three 4x8 sheets) and the plans at the following address:

http://wayneofthewoods.com/coffin%202.html

My joints aren't quite furniture grade, but it is very sturdy and will look great in the graveyard.  Before next year I will probably stain it and either add a cross to the lid or possibly cut a cross into the lid...  This took much less time that the 6' Armature since I had all the right tools:

• Table saw to cut the angles on the side boards
• Circular saw with straight edge to cut the top, bottom, and sides
• Hand plane to make the joints relatively tight
• Corded drill with countersink drill bits
• Cordless drill
• Speed triangle to keep things square and calculate the angles (which all matched what were listed on the website!

I fit very comfortably inside it, but haven't decided if I will be in it for Halloween this year or not... :-)

Update . . .

The torso for the 6 foot armature is complete!  It took two and a half large cans of crack sealer to completely cover the wire frame!  I took a couple of videos that I will shorten down and post soon (assuming the quality is OK).  I also have created the musculature for the arms and legs using an old mattress topper and some duct tape.  I'll post the finished pictures once the crack sealer is dry.

Finally, I just ordered all of the supplies listed on my Zombie makeup tutorial post so I can make a practice run at that before Halloween.  Expect a video in a couple of weeks...

6 Foot Armature

30 minutes seems to be my time allotment for Halloween projects...

I went to Home Depot on Saturday and bought materials for a bunch of projects:
- Grim Reaper Armature
- 6' Armature
- Coffin
- Modified Fog Chiller
- Tombstones

Here is the skeleton part of the 6' Armature, complete.  It only took about 30 minutes to make this and about half of the Grim Reaper skeleton. Next is to add the chest and bulk up the arms/legs and finish the reaper skeleton.  And don't worry, that isn't all neck, it will go to the top of the head inside whatever mask I am using on this dummy.