31 Days of Halloween: Day 1

I do this blog differently every year.  (And not at all on purpose.)  So this year, lets take a look at how I'm spending my October, a.k.a. my 31 days of Halloween.

My day started off by happily stumbling upon the very beginning of Ghostbusters on VH1.  For the past couple years, I've been trying to figure out how I can get my hair that big to be Dana (as Zuul) for Halloween.  After watching the flick this time around, I still haven't figured it out.  Anyway, here's a clip from the film in case I've put you in the mood and you need your fix:

I Want You Inside Me

Aside from being appropriate to my comment, I tried to pick a different clip from Ghostbusters that I've yet to feature on this blog.  (Although you can still watch "He Slimed Me" in it's original Halloween Spot post - just another great clip from a great flick!)



After watching Ghostbusters in it's entirety (and losing that portion of the day to be productive,) I unwrapped the new gravestones I bought and placed them outside.  (purchased at Target and Party City)  One "stone" in particular had a job: I was making a grave site this year!

Of course, just like when baking, I never have all the components I need when I start a project.  For the grave site, I also needed some bones and some loose soil.  I made a pit stop at the local Halloween Adventure first, since I haven't visited it yet this season.  It must be said, I was incredibly disappointed!  Their stock was less than impressive, and what they did have was way overpriced.  Oh well!  I knew where I could grab some bones; I had eyed up Target's Bag of Bones on a previous trip.  A little pricey for being styrofoam ($20,) but I needed them to do the job.  Then I ran over to good ol' Home Depot and grabbed the cheapest bag of soil I could.  And I paid for it.  It smelled... unnatural.

Next, I laid out the bones to get an idea of which ones I would use and about where they would go.

Two reasons I didn't use all the bones in that bag.  1) I thought this would give a better creepy effect, and 2) I now have extras in case any little assholes decide to grave rob.


To lay the soil, I shoveled it bit-by-bit into a bowl to break it up (as it was pretty damp) and to be able to spread it more easily.  This process took a little while, but I thought the outcome was pretty damn good!

I used up the entire bag here, yet some of the ground beneath came through in blades of grass and leaves.  That is A-OKAY.  I plan on spreading another bag of soil over the "grave" closer to the date of our shindig to make it look "fresh."

WHOA!  I missed mentioning an important part of my Autumn-y day!  I had also stopped by Starbucks during my errand-running and grabbed a tasty Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino to make the day more complete :)

photo credit: starbucks.com

Deck Out Your Fridays! A Grave Decision

What's a better way to show your Halloween dedication to the neighborhood than by turning your front lawn into a cemetery?  Nothing.

Now, there are a few ways to go about it.

I found one site that instructs you on building your headstones of plywood and mud or joint compound.  If you have the space, the time, and the tools required, this would be a really fun project!  Not only could you then showcase your work but also have it for years and years to come.

A place called FrightCatalog.com has some pretty intense foam tombstones for purchase.  They also offer something called a "Grave Scene Kit" for $16.99, which includes two tombstones, soft barbed wire, and bloody cloth? (Seen below)

Or, you could go with the easiest/cheapest option.  Many of these kinds, made up of mostly plastic, are available at most Dollar Stores, supermarkets, and party stores.

No matter your choice, put just a little extra effort into the set-up to give it that creepy cemetery feel.  Use straw or loose soil to mark the grave sites.  Grab some body parts from your local Halloween store to have "bursting" through the ground.  Build up the earth around the bottoms of the gravestones so that they don't appear to be floating.  Little things like that will make a simple decoration that much better!

Make sure to mark your graves!  Let your viewers know who's house it is by creating your own epitaphs.  OR, make ones for your neighbors...

Other resources:

• eHow
• HubPages - With instructions to make a peeping zombie!!
• Oriental Trading