Halloween Decorations

My house has a dozen steps up to a big front porch.  I usually hang a holiday wreath at the bottom of the steps on the front of the deck wall.  I wanted to sit a mummy in the middle of a large wreath I put out during Christmas, because it is big and can be seen from the street.  I didn't have a mummy, so I went scrounging through my holiday decorations.  I found a skinny ghost I had bought for my mom's porch years ago, before she passed away.  Hey, I thought, it has arms and legs, is skinny, but he has a pointed head.  I cut the point off and twisted the metal down and taped it.  Then I started cutting up the ghost's "dress" into strips.  I wrapped and wrapped.  Eventually I ran out of cloth, but had some off white linen material which matched pretty well.  I didn't want him to get too wet when it rained, so I built him a "bat umbrella."  I cut off most of the back of the umbrella.  I shaped the front fabric into wings.  I used some of the cut off material to sew ears which I stuffed and sewed to the umbrella.  

 

I saw a cowboy "Mr. Bones" in the Pottery Barn catalog.  He had on the cutest outfit, similar to the one in the photo.  I called EARLY to order him, because I knew he'd be snapped up quickly.  Sure enough, they'd sold out of him.  I went on their web site just to see if he was dressed in the cowboy outfit.  He was NOT.  So, I thought I could duplicate him.  I saw this sitting skeleton in Grandinroad's catalog.  I ordered him.  Then I went on Ebay and bid on the vest (woman's size extra small) with fringe.  I wish I had a better camera than my iphone for photos.  I bid on the cowboy boots (men's size 10) and they fit his big bony feet.  Finally, I bid on the cowboy hat.  I lost that bid, but the guy who won backed out of the deal.  SCORE!!!  I am searching for a shiny tin star for his vest.  I haven't decided what to put in his hands yet.   I turned my lounge chairs sideways to make a comfy couch for him by my front door.

 Again, sorry about the photo.  I found this fence at an gift shop and knew I had finally found a place for my costumed Byer's dolls.  I put down carpet grass with fake colored leaves from Michael's.  I also found the three plaster gravestones there.  I already had the black wire tree.   I just love my little graveyard.

Here's my chuck wagon from the previous three parties.  I filled it with my favorite Halloween friends and set it on my hearth.

On the mantle, I put the sparkly haunted house with my bobblehead trick or treaters.

You've seen my beach sculpture with different holiday characters.  These are my favorite little trick-or-treaters.  

I won't bring out the lawn inflatable, spiders, and webs until closer to the day.  I have a 3' witch who sits in a chair in my sunroom.  She'll come out next week.

Have fun,
Jani