Did you see that? A slight movement in the photograph…almost as if it were haunted. Don’t be frightened, it’s just a cinemagraph. Cinema..what? Don’t worry, I didn’t know what they were until just recently. “Cinemagraphs are still photographs in which a minor and repeated movement action occurs. The term “cinemagraph” was coined by U.S. photographers Kevin Burg and Jamie Beck, who used the technique to animate their fashion and news photographs beginning in early 2011.” Read more »

Last year I had planned on making my first really cool Halloween do-it-yourself project, the Laser Vortex. After reading the tutorial on the Garage Of Evil website, I bought the parts and wired everything together. The only problem is that I ran out of time to make it work for Halloween night. So this year I started from where I left off. Actually found out two of the wires were misconnected on the double pole throw switch. Thankfully a friend pointed this out and voila…the vortex worked! This video is my last dry-run test before this Halloween night. Hoping that the effect is every bit as cool as I’m expecting.

After I received the parts (mostly from Radio Shack), I wired everything together.

I bought some wood and drywall screws from Home Depot and mounted the vortex. I then took the wood pieces apart so I could paint them.

The vortex after it was painted and remounted. I used velcro for the laser so I could move it around a bit for fine tuning to point directly at the spinning mirror.

Every year in September, I get filled with anticipation awaiting the Fall merchandise (and more specifically the newest Halloween collectibles). As we all start getting busy with ordinary “life” stuff, like the ever depressing end-of-summer back-to-school sales, we sometimes run out of time or forget to check what new wonders have arrived in the stores to welcome the autumn season. So I’ve done the work for you and collected websites for some of my favorite shopping stores with links to their Halloween merchandise pages. I hope you’ll find this helpful as you make plans to hit the markets in search of this year’s little treasures.

If your style is more traditional and classic, you are sure to enjoy Pottery Barn. Their website has beautiful photography to help inspire you to host a spooky party, serve classic treats, turn your home into a pumpkin patch, or display a ghostly gallery on your walls. I LOVE this store!

For a little more glitz and glam, head over to Pier 1. They have a great page to get the ideas flowing called Halloween Ideas to die for.

I’ve always found Z Gallerie to be a bit eccentric in its choice of merchandise, but I will definitely mention them because they do have a small collection of Halloween flair. Seems they are very big on skeletons this year so check out their selection.

What’s Halloween with out a little arts and crafts. Michaels has got you covered there. Not only do they have pumpkin carving kits, Lemax Spooky Town Collectibles, but they carry Martha Stewart Crafts™ Halloween!

Now let’s head to the kitchen! Williams-Sonoma has a tasty selection of treats for those with a sweet tooth. Here you’ll find delicious cakes, cookies, and even a no-bake Halloween Haunted House Kit. If your going to have treats you’ll want to have something spellbinding to serve them in. For example, enjoy your witches brew of choice in these Halloween Cauldron Mugs.

Halloween at Sur La Table is full of creative culinary ideas. Pick up some creature cookie cutters, or a spooky black cat apron. Serve your goodies on their Halloween cake stand or Spider Web Candy Bowls.

Crate&Barrel is jumping on the Halloween bandwagon too. They have a small collection of Halloween kitchen supplies such as their Halloween Cupcake Decorating Stencils.

Good ol’ Tarjay…I mean Target has it’s own massive Halloween section of the store. Not only do they carry costumes but have lots to decorate your indoor and outdoor spaces.

They get a bad wrap…but give the superstore Walmart a chance too. They also have an enormous selection of Halloween merchandise. With costumes, craft and party supplies, you might try going here to save yourself a buck or two. They have many of the same decorations that the larger seasonal Halloween shops have.

I don’t think I have to mention (but I will) a few other seasonal Halloween stores. Spirit Halloween is stocked and ready to unload their newest props and costumes in stores all over the country. Halloween Illusions is now open and people are flocking to pick up their monsterous merchandise early before it’s sold out.

Well that should keep you guys busy for awhile. I have a few other places I wanted to mention but there is so much to talk about for those that I will do a separate special blog to focus more completely on these favorites of mine. Have fun shopping!

Found this gem while surfing through Etsy.com. You could use these Happy Halloween tickets for your Halloween party. Maybe stick these into your invitations or pass them out to those about to visit your Halloween yard haunt.

Sometimes we promise ourselves things that never come to pass. Like working out, eating healthy, and building new props for Halloween. Can’t help you with the first two, but lets talk prop building. You’ve probably seen a cool idea or yard haunt and secretly wished to build something similar with your own two hands. But you had no idea what to do or how to build it. Don’t worry. I’ve been there. I’ll show you some great sites that can inspire you to build and in plenty of time so you can our favorite time of year.

First, try to convince yourself not to get too excited about doing more than you can seriously handle in the time you have left. After all, it’s already September. Jot down a few of your top ideas, figure out how long each will take and how complicated the project is. Consider whether your working on your own or if you’ll have help from friends or family. Having all this information will help you to remain realistic about what you can complete without stressing yourself out.

Still no idea of what to build? Well, one place you can start is the Monster List of Halloween Projects. Here you’ll find an extensive list of projects in alphabetical order. Each project has been noted as either a static or moving prop and whether it requires advanced building skills. If you need some more ideas, take a gander through the Garage of Evil. You’ll have to register for free membership to the site, but once your in you not only have access to lots of great tutorials, you can join forums and connect to other haunters out there in the web world. Not to mention the Garage of Evil has a great list of Haunt social meetup groups through the country. I’ll mention one more site that’s quickly becoming a favorite of mine called My Ghoul Friday. “Ghoul Friday” is a wonderful artist who writes blogs and provides lots of great project tutorial ideas. Here I found instructions on how to create things using paper mache, something I’ve always wanted to try. If I can make something remotely as cool as Ghoul Friday’s collection of “Minions” I’d be happy!

Once you have the project picked out, buy your supplies. Lots of craft stores have weekly sales ads so you can save a buck or two. Check out Michael’s Crafts or Joanne’s Fabrics and stock up as early as possible. Get your friends to help you build so you can divide the work. Okay kids, I’m off to build this year’s masterpiece.