Outdoor Halloween Decorations - What
should a mummy do when it's stressed out?
Unwind!
Sorry about that!;-)
I'm just trying to get this
Halloween party started!
You'll unwind, too, after we
scare up some fiendishly fabulous Halloween
decorations!

Hmmm, let's see...you strike me as an
extreme Halloween decorations type looking for something
BOO-rific! Right?
Wait, wait...don't tell me -- you're
looking for something frightfully subtle!
Whatever your spooky style,
smashing pumpkins,
alien squash, groovy graveyards, and menacing mansions are all deadly serious outdoor Halloween props.
And I've got the goulish
goods!
But beware
-- a single glance at these outdoor Halloween decorations and
you'll fall under the bewitching spell of All Hallows
Eve.
Oh, are you still here?
Okay, don't say I didn't warn you.
To make your home sweet haunted home
the house of your nightmares -- bravely scroll
down!
BOO!
Outdoor Halloween Decorations -
Smashing Pumpkins

Pumpkins make smashing
outdoor Halloween decorations. Pick an artificial pumpkin that
someone has gouged up for you. Or do the dirty work yourself!
Here's how.
Pick A
Pumpkin
If you have the stomach for
it, thump a pumpkin and listen for a ripe, hollow
sound. This sound means the pumpkin disembowels
easily.
Normally I'm a
fan of oozing sores, but for carving pumpkins it
will never do. So make sure yours has a smooth clear face
-- the better to carve, my pretty!
Medium-size
pumpkins handle best. The large ones can't be
trusted.
And you might
think the small ones are all sweet and innocent. But it's
a trick! So keep your wits about you -- or they'll slip
through your fingers before you can get the knife in
good.
Inspect the
prisoner for a firmly attached head -- I mean stem -- it's a
sign of death -- I mean health!
And a solid
broad bottom, with lots of girth is best so Jack doesn't get
knocked over.
Pumpkin Carving Terror Tools
Power tools and soft pumpkin flesh -- I love Halloween
outdoor decorations!
Looking to get in touch with your inner medieval side?
An old-fashioned steak knife gets the job done
nicely.
Behold below some other freakishly fiendish hand
tools:
-
Pumpkin-carving tools - general-purpose slicing and
dicing
-
Drywall saw
-- for deep gouges and tough flesh
-
Hand saw -
for chopping
-
Carving
chisel - flay away
Carving a pumpkin with power tools makes quick work of
this grisly task.
So, make sure these are in your bag of
tricks!
-
Jigsaw -
smooth cuts -- smooth curves
-
Reciprocating saw - this bad boy cuts thick tough
flesh
-
Electric
drill - good for poking holes -- especially the
eyes
-
Router -
flay away
-
Angle
grinder - also good for removing skin
-
Dremel
rotary tool - modern psycho detailing tool
-
Big spoon
- gut-removal gadget
Get Your Carve On
It is Halloween after
all, so get yourself some candy to keep your strength up. And
for creep's sake, pop a horror flick soundtrack in the CD
player and blast it!
Next, we want the
victim -- I mean the patient -- I mean the pumpkin
surgically clean.
If you're using power
tools, avoid pumpkin guts mussing your scrubs by not wearing
scrubs or other loose-fitting clothing.
We wouldn't want what
you're going to do to that pumpkin to happen to you, now would
we?
Carving the pumpkin on
a plastic drop cloth makes it easier to get rid of the
evidence later.
Pull all your
equipment together. Do it now. No one wants you traipsing
through the house dropping pumpkin guts all over the floor.
And don't forget
the carving template. You'll find them in magazines and craft
stores.
Let Jack cool
his heels at room temperature for a while -- that ought to
show him.
Draw
an 8-sided or round lid on the top of Jack's
head.
You
can also cut out Jack's bottom instead, gut him, and then sit
him down over a candle. Ouch!
Cutting the lid
at an angle makes sure it doesn't drop into Jack's neck
when you put it on.
Scrape out all the
innards.
Then
make Jack a voodoo doll for a while. Use straight
pins or tacks to attach your pattern to Jack's
scull.
Position the pins directly on the template lines
so when you're done, you won't leave any tell-tell holes --
except the big one you've gouged out of the top of his
head!
Outdoor Halloween Decorations -
Groovy Graveyard
Make
spine-tingling outdoor Halloween decorations using Styrofoam
for tombstones.
Jeepers creepers -- don't forget to engrave them
with cheeky epitaphs
like these:
The scene will be absolutely ghostly to
guests and passersby.
Use rotary tools for
gouging letters into the foam.
Cover your tombstones with special effects stone paint
and craft paint to get that highly desirable decayed
look that's all the rage this season.
And craft old coffins and craggy-looking trees from
plywood.
Outdoor Halloween Decorations - Menacing
Mansion
If a haunted mansion doesn't say "No Trespassing", I
don't know what does!
Make yours from assorted cardboard
boxes, paper towel rolls and tissue paper rolls (from you know
where).
Mix and match them,
stack them high, and glue and tape them into place.
Then cut out windows and use doily paper and
construction paper for curtains and shutters.
Fashion a widow's
walk at the top and get a crafty picket fence for the
railing.
Spray paint it all black. Then
move on to candy landscaping.
Use licorice for colorful candy blooms.
Black licorice crafts up craggy-looking trees and
paths.
Black and white candy canes or black and white stripped
licorice secured to foam can be your fencing.
Make your planting beds from candy ropes.
And use lime green jellybeans for ghastly grass.
Outdoor Halloween Decorations -
Squash
Ready to make squash scared
-- I mean squash scary?
Great! Because squash
makes a fabulous alien for your outdoor Halloween
decorations!
So let's skin us a squash --
alive! Here's what you need:
-
Winter squash
-
A recovered memory of an
alien abduction
-
Dry erase marker
-
Jigsaw, steak knife,
angle grinder or Dremel tool
-
Glow stick or spotlight
with green light orb
Draw the alien's face on the
squash using your recovered memory and dry erase
marker.
Carve out the eyes -- beginning at the irises and make
your way outward.
Be
sure to angle the eyes up. And make them bulge by leaving more
flesh closer to the irises.
Carve out a small slit
for the mouth.
And punch holes through for a nose.
Click here for more outdoor Halloween
decor.
Halloween decorating outdoor
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