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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
outdoor 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!
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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.
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