The Unsung Heroes of Yard Haunts

No not that kind of hero!

I never really thought about how many things we use during Halloween season that we never list as a “necessity” or “need” . We only see the finished product in the form of our ultra creepy and cool pictures. Well I am here to list a few of those items that I could not haunt without. They make life a lot easier on the haunter and the Wicked Woods Cemetery would be a bleak haunt without! Here they are in no particular order.

Rebar:

From holding up tombstones to making our zombies stand tall in a wind storm, rebar is a haunting have to for the Yard Haunter. I have a HUGE pile of them on my shelf at all times.

Extension Cords:

I am actually ashamed at the amount of high quality extension cords I own. It is a have to if you plan on having a eerily lit haunt. Adding high quality sound and special effects like fog, and animatronics….get your credit card out for the extension cord that makes it all possible.

Rolled wire:

Stitching a zombie t together? Tying a tomb stone to rebar? Want your skeletons to climb up on your porch? Better have some high gauge wire to hold it in place.

Duct Tape:

If it’s broke…and duct tape won’t hold it together, you do not need it!

Sheppard’s Hooks:

Already painted black. Ready to be pushed in the ground and secured with a single step. Various sizes too. Great for having those store bought skeles stand up on their own! Or making ghosts “hover”.

Fishing Line:

Want your ghost to float? 50lb test will do it. Need to make a cloak out of creepy cloth? Fishing line can do it with invisible seems.

Staple Gun:

Hanging signs? Fixing scarecrows? Zombie falling apart? Staple Gun to the rescue.

Hot Glue Gun:

Same as above but less intrusive for more delicate things.

Xacto Knife:

Best thing for carving a forever pumpkin and for extreme detail on tombstone.

Dremel Tool :

A must have for tombstones!

Thumb tacks:

I cannot tell you how many things are hanging up at Halloween with just a thumbtack…also good for helping to secure wired props into place or a quick repair.

Black Paint :

Easy to mix up to make grey, can add to compound for tombstones. If something is cracked, paint it black! Great to make a “wash” to darken in fading tombstones or props.

Mason Jars:

Great for keeping those Lights dry during rain or helping to diffuse the light in an area. Can also be wrapped in duct tape to act as a shade for spotlights.

Chicken Wire:

Need a groundbreaker? Want to make a full standing Jason Voorhees? Need a body bag with body? Chicken wire can make you a fully fleshed out and light weight body in no time!

Landscaping pins:

Great for taming cords, holding down lights with no spikes and for props with the Christmas tree type stands keeping them in position.

What are your list of behind the scene items you can't haunt without?

Mid Summers Halloween projects

We find ourselves in a state of flux. We are under contract to move to a MUCH bigger house with the perfect yard to haunt, but...the closing date could be anywhere from Sept 30th to Dec 30th. So we run the constant stress of "should we decorate?" We have decided to go on as usual and just anticipate the moving to come after Halloween. 

My office is a constant mash of Halloween items that I use for both inspiration and for sentimentality. This is the view over my shoulder from my computer desk.

M had been planning some projects this year all on her own. She is going to be mass producing PVC candles to start with.

Her inspirational urges strike even late into the night.

Here is the first batch of small candles.

Here they are in action!

I am working on a few projects myself trying to keep in mind that a move could happen at any given moment. So far I have one creature I am building around a toy motor. My biggest fear is the motor will give out before Halloween and it is at the heart of the build and cannot be replaced. Here is a sneak peek at what I am working on...any guesses? 

Hope that we can find time for many more projects in the days to come!

Halloween Eve's Blast from the Past!

I am busier than a hungry zombie trapped in a brain repository. After work I have to put some last minute touches on the haunt, get treat bags ready, and do the no snow/rain dance into the wee hours of the night. Hop you all are having a safe and enjoyable Halloween Eve!

Here are the top 5 most viewed, shared, and discussed posts from Something wicKED this way comes. ENJOY!

#5: wicKED Recipes

Here you will find the most used recipes served at every wicKED weeKEnD Halloween party!

#4: 13 Steps to Throwing a wicKED Halloween Party

This is the ultimate party guide for throwing one of the wickedest bashes of all. If you need help planning your first Halloween party, or you are an old pro looking for some new ideas....this is the guide for you!

#3 The Wicked Woods Cemetery Yard Haunt of 2011

Pictures, video, and media from last years haunt. Check it out to get an idea of what to expect from us this year.

#2 Why are you so Obsessed with Halloween?

If you have ever had a friend of family member ask you this questions...forward this article to them! Tell em wicKED says hi!

Number 1 by a LANDSLIDE. The absolute most viewed post on this blog is one created by my very own Haunted Honey...M!

#1 How to Zombify your hand with Toilet Paper in 15 Minutes!

M does all our zombie makeup for the yard haunt. This tutorial can be used on your face as well. 

I hope you enjoyed this walk down blog memory lane. May your Halloween be truly wicKED!

Tuesday's Trash to Terrors

If you are a regular follower of my blog, you know I post about wicKED things year round. I frequently post about finding items during spring and summer months in thrift stores, yard sales, or heading to the trash bin. Here are a few examples of the trash I turn into terrors....

Here were a couple of yard sale lamps that had seen better days. Got them for a buck each. 

Add a couple of foam skulls I got on clearance last year, dollar tree creepy cloth, and a couple of flicker bulbs and you have some creepy lamps to add not only functionality to your haunt but some great ambiance as well. The candle holder and LED candle in the middle of them are also bargain treasures. The holder was a horrible gold color that I darkened up and the LED came from  Kirklands clearance shelf because it was banged up. Together, they work magic.

We got this end table for free at a yard sale. It was a little banged up but very sturdy oak construction and a solid beveled glass top. I knew when I saw it I wanted to creep it out for Halloween. While this end table did serve as a great place to put my drink and snacks while playing Gears of War all summer, it held a more sinister place in my mind for the coming fall.

I am not a fan of glitter at all. Especially for Halloween. M came up with this concept and I hate to admit it, but it works. Dark satin cloth completely covers the table. I lifted the glass out and hid all aspects of the wood with the satin. Put the glass back, hide a black LED spot light under the glass, and some of M's girly glitter Halloween swag on top and BAM! Instant cool party prop. Really like the way the items seem to float in the black swirls of the cloth.

Picked this light box up at a yard sale for a buck. This is one of those industrial light boxes that mimics a window for underground offices. When I saw it, I knew where I was headed. Removing the criss-cross of wood and spray painted black.

I had some X-rays of my melon already. Couple of quick cuts and some glue and you have this.

This is going to be a focal point in our kitchen for the Halloween party. It will be right next to the life like jello brain and the mad scientist mixology set. I may add a little place card saying "The Mind of a Mad Man".... not sure but it will be cool none the less. The starters on the bulbs flicker like crazy which just give it an extra creep factor.

Picked up this decorative bottle of old bath salts at a yard sale for 50 cents. I had at first intended to just empty it and use the bottle for another apothecary jar. With all the talk about zombie bath salts, I had plans to then change the label to "Zombie Bath Salts".... then I figured it looked just as good and thought provoking to leave it be. So there it is.... mixed in with my other awful apothecary items.


My last item on this list is not trash at all. In fact it is a premium product that I highly reccomend all my readers try. It is Halloween Hot Sauce!

I got the triple pack that includes mild, medium and hot sauce. They taste amazing. You can get yours at HAUNTED HOT SAUCE. You will thank me later if you do!

Why would I put this great product in the Trash to Terrors post? Well....we will most likely eat them up at the Halloween party and instead of throwing them in the trash... I will fill them with an appropriate colored fluid and use them again and again every year! See? Trash.... to Terrors!

They are crawling out of the wood works... literally!

Just added a skull and two skele arms to a manhole located at the corner of the property. There is a green strobe in with him. Going to add some sound effects and maybe a fogger for Halloween night.

It's simple and effective. Hope there are many more props to come, but I am saving most of my creations for October 1st! I plan on doing some sneak peeks into the cemetery this year.

Want to win this prop? Well, you can't, you can win some great stuff though! Link HERE!

One man's junk is a yard haunter's treasure.

It's less than 3 months till the big day. Time to start rolling out ideas, projects, and props. I just happened to have lucked into a few good items recently for next to nothing! Behold my super cheap treasures I have collected!

One fully functional Shiatsu Massager. Not sure if I will use this to animate a ground breaker or a breathing grave. Found this in my mother's yard sale junk for free.

The two bottles were thrift store finds and I paid a dollar for them both. They will be filled with disgusting liquid and added to the apothecary. The lantern was another mom yard sale find. I will paint it black and add it to the ground breaking coffin and shovel scene from last year. 

I also plan on adding a grave robber to this so I am looking forward to how it all ties in

Gothic shelf perfect for a skull, candle, and raven (1 buck at a thrift store). Large candle holder for another skull or pumpkin and a tarnished, twisted candle holder which I will creep up a bit and put a nice black candle in (both for a buck at a yard sale). 

I won this on a bid from ebay for 9.99. 

I now have official Friday the 13th wear as well as a good convo shirt for Superbowl!

Found this bargain at a teachers supply outlet. They had 3 for 50 cents each.. I got em all. 

I was shocked to find Bath Salts at a yard sale, but for 50 cents, how can you go wrong. I plan on dressing as a zombie, then taking the bath salts and eating my neighbors faces off. Not really.... The bottle was just cool looking and M said it needed to go into the apothecary (after disposing of the zombie drug inside). 

M found this at Dollar Tree for a buck. It's large and a great door knocker cover. In a pinch, you could also add this to a bathroom as a towel holder! Dollar Tree also has large pieces of creepy cloth, die cut bats, spider, and ravens like Martha Stewart, and black roses. I am going to send M back to make some creepy arrangements soon.

M found black duct tape for half off marked price at Rue21. 99 cent duct tape at a teeny bopper clothing store? Don't ask, just take it! 

M got this for me a while back. A glow in the dark pointer. It will come in handy for Halloween party games. 

This is the crown jewel of my bargain haunting finds. This is one of those light boxes they put in basements or center offices to give the illusion of a window. It has two large curved florescent lights (as you can see through the plexi) to give the illusion of a window to the outside. When I saw it, it screamed X-RAY BOX and will be perfect to display my collection of x rays.

The only problem is, it is designed to be hard wired as a wall fixture. I will be able to rewire it with an old toaster's cord, pull the window slats out of the front and paint the box black for a perfectly wicked x ray box to go along with my apothecary/bar area for the Halloween party. The lights alone would run me close to 30 bucks, not to mention the light housing and hardware, plexi-glass, and wood frame. This is an easy 50 dollar or more project found at a yard sale for a mere 2 bucks!

Maybe adding a small plaque which reads, "Exploring the brain of a serial killer"