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.

Oh yes…the Laser Vortex. I’m sort of panicking right now. There are only two days left before Halloween and I’ve totally procrastinated on my Halloween prop for this year! The good thing is that I have all the necessary parts to build the prop. And I’ve already soldered some of the wires together. I feel like a mad scientist putting this thing together at night in the hopes that it will work beautifully and I can cry out “ITS ALIVE!”. Read more »

The only thing better than getting candy on Halloween night is scaring unsuspecting trick-or-treaters. Some people will go to elaborate lengths to prepare a good yard haunt, but all you really need is a good Halloween prop and perfect timing!

This year I decided I wanted to make a really cool new prop for my yard haunt. Something that wouldn’t put me out financially and something that wouldn’t be too complicated or difficult to build. I found a fantastic prop idea from the Garage Of Evil website. A laser vortex…no, not a flex capacitor…a LASER VORTEX! The parts are actually very cheap and most can be purchased from Radio Shack. The only tools I had to buy was a Dremel tool (I’ve always wanted one), and a soldering gun kit. Now I’m ready to go. I’ll keep you updated through future posts on the build phase and test phase of this project.

Can you believe it…after all that planning, preparation and fun its all over. Halloween 2009 is now just a sweet memory. I hope all of you had a great time doing whatever you did. I wound up working my butt off to finish all the decorating and cooking just minutes before my guests arrived. It was a hell of a lot of work, but we did it. And I had a great time. Without further ado, here are some pictures from our Halloween party. (Click on them to see the whole picture).

These couple of ghouls have gone wild. Notice the flicker bulbs in the hanging lamp. These very effective props were bought from Party City. We wrapped the walls in Scene Setters to give the look of a cold dungeon. The man sitting in the chair began as a scarecrow, but I found a great prop laboratory switch. When you switch it down, it lights up as if its electric and a man screams. So this became our electrocution chair. I’m planning on working on this prop to escalate it for next year. Finally the staircase provided a perfect spot for the Hanging Haunted portraits from my previous blog.

Our fog machine zombie was a big hit. We also had the soundtrack to the Disneyland Haunted Mansion playing in the front yard. I think the adults loved it even more than the kids. This year was small but very effective. Next year, I plan to expand the yard haunt and add a few more tricks. You might wonder why I go through so much trouble? The payoff is the expression on the kids faces. I remember seeing awesome yards when I was a kid and I never forgot them. They were so creative and fun to me. So maybe I can do that same thing for someone else, and leave that lasting impression. After all, it helps to preserve the traditions of our favorite holiday. HAPPY HALLOWEEN everyone!