Valley Glen Living article.

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I have Valley Glen Spirit!

Sometime in the week before Halloween, Blayne and Chris, publishers of the Valley Glen Living newspaper had been told about my decorations by a neighbor and came by the house to see. They took some pictures and interviewed me.

I thought that was fun and looked forward to seeing the issue. Then they came back last Thursday night with a certificate and a DVD of Monster House as a prize telling me I won the contest! I had no idea there was a contest.

Most shameful is...I didn't know we lived in Valley Glen.

Sorry Van Nuys, I like the sound of Valley Glen better.

Have You Seen Me?

Petty theft came to Halloweentown sometime yesterday. Our "house number" zombie was stolen. It hurts. I really liked this guy. I made it easy for the thief ... the base, tombstone and zombie were all one piece. I could be flattered because it means someone liked it a lot. But it hurts.

Not that it's the greatest work I've ever done, but I do take time to create these things, it's not something I can shop at Target to replace. It's crazy I know but as I make these I create little back stories and personalities for them in my head. By the time they are displayed they have become characters to me in a unwritten story.

After 3 years of decorating the lawn in this neighborhood without incident I now have no trust anymore. That hurts worse.

Halloween 2006

You pass the graveyard...



brave the one eyed alien...



and the giant spider...


pass under the guillotine...




and approach the dark figure sitting amid a cloud of smoke holding the candy...


I would of never done it as a kid but many did. There seemed to me more kid's than last year and a few familiar faces. All seemed too have a real good time.










The evening was made extra special having friends and family visit for the night really making a event to look forward too again next year...not pictured were Sandra, Vince, Kelsey and Andrew who stopped by.

Andrew hung out into the late hours and helped scare a couple of later night trick or treaters . We did a bait and switch with him in the electric chair as I stood by like a manniquin. Once I came to life he begged the kids to take me home and I followed them down the street.

Alessandra had the inside house loaded with food and drink and a dark corner of the drive way set up for all to sit and enjoy the scares.

Bill, Leia, Megan, Devin and Paul.


Mom and Dad.

My sister Megan

This post would not be complete without the usual "my niece, Devin" gush. She is checking off the Disney Princess list year to year. Year one- Cinderella, year two- Tinkerbelle, this year-Ariel. As always my favorite trick or treater...



My brother Ted came by to help prep the fun this year almost everyday for a week, we had alot of fun and makes me look foward to next year even more...thanks to him as well for most of these pictures.

This year marks a goodbye to the Micheal Myers costume. I'm going to be something new next Halloween. He'll still haunt the place...just on a manniquin.
It was a fun night with cheesy decorations and cheap scares...I'm already thinking about next year and have a year's worth of mess to clean up.

Never forget...Halloween beasts need love too...

Countdown to Halloween 6

Fun things you can make with styrofoam, model magic, great stuff insulation spray and paint...



I always thought we needed a better address post. This zombie's head I made with a motion activated skull I found at Cost Plus. His jaw chatters and eyes look left and right while lighting up. The sculpt and animation was great but it made a lame laughing sound with an organ music sting. It's sound quality was just garbled noise. I opened it up and cut the audio wire out.



I've loved pirates long before Johnny Depp made them cool to everyone. I've always wanted to have a pirate skeleton on the lawn and finding a discounted "Jack Sparrow" costume gave me no reason not to make one. I know, I know...Capt. Jack did not have a hook, but I could not help giving him one.



My brother Ted spent an afternoon in the tree making the web for a giant spider.



This guy is the end result of trying to create the illusion he was juggling the pumpkins. I had several clear plastic posts behind him with these pumpkins and more mounted at various heights. The posts kept warping and bending because of the weight. I troubled shooted it enough to make work, but I got frustrated and decided to move on, maybe next year.



The guillotine is up again this year and I added a new skeleton pulling the rope holding the blade.


This weekend I'm setting up the enter and exit path for the Trick n' Treaters on the big night. I'm still adding a few scares.

Countdown to Halloween 5

Countdown to Halloween 4

I started to decorate the front yard this weekend. Below are a few sneak preview pictures. I've got 12 more skeletons in progress plus a few other surprises. I've improved the bride from last year's foam head on a stick using a real mannequin . Maybe next year I'll give her a real dress.

How To Make A Spider Cage .

This caged spider is an old project but a favorite. He hangs year round from the rafters in my garage but gets showcased hanging from the front porch on Halloween. The best thing about Halloween decor stored away gathering dust is... it looks better from year to year.

For those interested... below is a brief step by step for my spider cage.

First...find a giant spider.

I found a good looking giant rubber spider dirt cheap during a 50% off post holiday sale at one of those halloween stores that rent out a vacant shopping mall space for a month. I thought...a giant spider is scary, but one caged makes it seem more dangerous.

Then get this stuff...

-2 matching wire plant hanging baskets ( large enough to hold your spider ).
-6 feet ( or length wanted ) of black plastic chain link ( or real ).
-Spool of wire ( guage? ... anything thin but strong and needs to be low profile ).
-Super glue ( hot stuff super "t" is my fave )
-Spool of 10 lb. or greater test fish-line.
-Paint: flat black, dark brown and orange to create faux rust look or a similar faux texture paint kit.

Now, follow these steps but use your imagination. Any improvements or better ideas welcome.


Step 1 -Pre paint/faux finish the baskets! You'll thank me later. Were possible hang the chain from above at a comfortable working level and lash the first basket to it upside down with wire... strong enough to hold but easy to remove as you may have to adjust the balance of the finished cage later. Now is the best time to faux finish the chain if needed as the attached basket holds it tight.


Step 2- Thread the fish-line through to "butt" or rear spinners of your spider. Tie it off so it appears as a single thread but don't cut away from the spool yet unless you give yourself a foot or two of extra line to play with later.


Step 3- Hang the spider center at the the top of the basket to create the illusion he is trapped. Tie a loose knot as you may need to adjust balance or height inside later.

Step 4- Wire the second basket right side up to the previous upside down one. Be sure to line up the spokes to create the cage illusion. Now you can adjust the balance of the cage on the chain or the height of spider in the cage if needed. Secure everything. I suggest a drop of glue on all fish -line ties and glue around the seam where the baskets meet to fill any gaps. You can let the spider hang dead center or as I've done, glue a some of his feet to the cage bars as if he is holding himself up. Do any touch up painting if needed.


Step 5- A finishing touch. Creating a lived in cob webbed domain. First... drink 10 cups of coffee and get shakey hands. Then...hold a hot glue gun 20 or so inches above the cage and squeeze away moving around in random spastic motions. This is the only hot glue project you want all those annoying threads. You can't go wrong here and if too much you can always go back and trim away excess. The hot glue is great as it will last forever and looks real.



I think I might add a huge oversized ol' rusty lock to the cage this year.

Countdown to Halloween 2

Here 's how I spent my Sunday afternoon ...making a zombie.

Click on picture to enlarge.

Mix in a large bowl...one cheap Big Lot's plastic skeleton, one small bag of Crayola Model Magic, one wooden dowel and one can of Great Stuff insulation foam. Garnish with paint and cheese cloth.

Countdown to Halloween...

It's been a full several months of constant work.

This weekend is a long overdue homework free one. I'm going to get messy working on something for me. The timing is perfect as the Halloween season is coming. It's time to start making new monsters zombies and ghouls for the frontyard.

Tonight I pulled the first random decoration box I saw on the garage shelf. What a cliche' holiday vingette appeared opening it...


I had to laugh and take a picture. It looks like something I'd art direct as a prop for a show... but it is as it was. Now that I think about it, I probably packed it this way last year so it looked like a cliche' Halloween prop box.

Pumpkin watch: 2006

Labor Day to most means the end of summer. To me it's the start of fall and the countdown to Halloween begins. This year's pumpkin patch is better than last year. I knew to give the vines more space. There has been very few pumpkins though. I lost two of the little guys a few weeks back when work kept me from regular watering.

I have 3 right now on the way.

This guy has himself a nice little bed of jade as the vine grew over it and back into the garden.
His orange is beginning to show.

This guy's just starting to grow.

It may be cutting it close but I have a few other small bulbs with potential.


Although the pumpkin harvest is not what I hoped, this was the first year I planted sunflowers and with great success.