Scary Movies

My Viewing Plans for this Week of Halloween.

All of these in my DVD collection.

1. Nightmare Before Christmas

Some consider this a Christmas movie but I think it's much more a Halloween story.

Moon crossed lovers - Sally and Jack.

All of these listed movies provide great decorating inspiration.

2. The Others

If you haven't seen this one....you must. 

This is my favorite kind of scary movie...big on atmosphere....low on gore.

Actually, there is no gore. 

It's all atmosphere and story.

Love this movie.

3. Sleepy Hollow

Oh....Johhny Depp, Christina Ricci and Christopher Walken is brilliant as usual.

This movie will really get you in the Halloween mood. 

The story is a bit of a jumble but the images are so beautiful....who cares.

Johnny Depp at his best.

4. Sweeney Todd

Johnny Depp, even better. He's totally mad. 

So is she. 

Quite a bit of blood in this one but it seems more like red paint. 

So it really didn't disturb me and I can watch it over and over.

Have been listening to this soundtrack over and over this week too.

Oh... I love this sequence so much.

She loves him so.

and finally....I'm off to find a copy of this today...

5. Trick R Treat

I saw it last year and loved it. Must find a copy.

It's more blood and guts than I normally like but this movie is pitch perfect when it comes to conveying 

the sense of Halloween night. The movie's plot involves several intersecting story lines as the characters 

enjoy their Halloween night in a small town. The town has a parade and a carnival and lots and lots of 

decorations. The whole feeling of this movie is just right. It makes you feel like Halloween made you 

feel when you were a kid. But it is pretty scary and lots of blood and guts.

But it's worth it because the art direction is so good.

Oh...that's a bad Trick r Treater.

 Oh...forgot this one...

6. Interview with a Vampire

Brad Pitt...Vampire....yes!

And I'm totally out on "Twilight".

I read three of the books and struggled to get through them because they were so boring. 

I only read them because all my friends were reading them and they knew I loved vampire stuff and insisted I read them.

I refused to read the last one.

The movies....are just as bad.

Do you have favorite Halloween movies? I could use some new suggestions. 

Have not found a new one to add to my list this year.

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Halloween

Decore to Adore

images: sweet b

and Gorgeous Halloween Art

created by

Shari Replogle

at

images: Plays with Paper

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Halloween Bones

He's Alive!

Dave Lowe finished his Patrick O'Treaty.

Oh...how I wish this guy was welcoming guests in my front yard.

I think I might go searching for a skeleton to fix up this week. 

It's not too late.

Isn't he delightful?

See more of Dave's stuff at -

His original sketch and the finished product. 

If a skeleton can be darling....this one is.

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Halloween in the Garden

The Spooky Landscape

source: Country Home

source: Country Living

source: Country Living

source: Country Living

source: Country Living

source: Corbis

source: Martha Stewart

source: Heather Bullard

source: Heather Bullard

Just a comment that has nothing to do with Halloween. 

Today my new Ballard Designs catalog came. 

Which is a big deal to me. Love to browse all the beautiful things and this one is especially chock full. 

But....the weenies got to it before me. The whole first 10 pages are so are mangled. 

And you know the first 10 pages are the best...because that is where the new stuff is. 

Something needs to be done about them. This penchant for getting the mail before me has got to stop.

I think it's time to retire the mail slot and start using a mail box. 

I'm so tired of chasing them around to get any mail that I think might be important. 

Of course it's my own fault. If they have a bit of mail that I grab from them and then decide is junk...

I hand it back to them and let them tear it up. So they really don't know its bad. 

Also my own fault because when Harvey was a puppy, he was in to tearing up things and I would hand 

him junk mail to chew and tear up to keep him occupied. So he grew up thinking it was fine to open 

envelopes and pull out the contents. 

I knew to keep my shoes up, to not let them play with socks, to not let them chew on anything that 

seemed similar to things that I might later regret letting them chew on. 

But I did not think about junk mail becoming an issue. 

I've learned my lesson now though. In the future, I will not let puppies play with unwanted mail. 

Because they cannot tell the difference between unwanted and wanted. 

I once had to call the electric company to find out how much my bill was because they'd torn it up 

beyond recognition. And another time, I got my neighbor's mail by mistake and I had to take them 

their Visa bill already opened and with a few bite marks in it. 

I tried to explain that I had not opened it that one of the dogs had...but I don't know if they believed me.

I decided to snap a quick shot of them at my feet. Poor babies need a bigger bed obviously. 

And there to the left is a little junk mail they dropped unopened. 

Electrical cords too for lighting all the Halloween outside.

Dear sweet weenies...I can't stay mad at you for more than a few minutes.

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Halloween Witch How To

Secret of the Witch

Last week I invited all into the Witch's Cottage. 

I got several emails asking me about the witch. 

What was she?

Where did she come from?

Was she just an image photoshopped in?

No...she's real...she really is in my living room.

Here is her secret.

I did photoshop her a skirt in some of last weeks photos.

I made her about four years ago. 

I found a vintage photo of a prim and proper victorian woman online.

I added a witch's hat to her using illustrator and photoshop.

I then enlarged her to life size and sent the file to what was then, Kinko's,

which is now FedEx Office.

I had her printed on their large format black and white banner printer.

They also have a large format color printer which I could have used

but I was trying to keep cost down. 

The black and white paper print of her cost me no more than $15 if that. 

I then had them mount her to foam core, another service they offer.

I then brought her home and cut her out using an exacto knife.

Total cost was probably about $65.

I can't remember exactly because it's been awhile.

The black and white banner printer prints 3 feet wide and really as long as you want. 

I've done as long as 12 feet.

Her nasty little secret...she's very shallow or thin depending on how you look at it.

My plan was to do a different witch every year till I had a group of them to sit around a table.

But I haven't gotten around to making others.

Now, there are digital printers and sign companies that you can send your file to 

and they will print to a heavy plastic board and they will cut it out for you.

Cost would be $100 - $150.

Not really in my budget this year.

But that printing is nearly indestructible. 

I've done several large projects for work using the process and it's really fantastic.

But for the money, you can't beat the black and white banner printer at FedEx Office.

You could easily and cheaply create a wall similar to this using the black and white banner printer.

Find a spooky old photo and blow it up.

It's best to use the largest photo you can find....but actually even if the image is pretty pixellated, 

it still looks good from a distance. Same way billboards look bad close up but good from a distance.

That witch photo was actually only about 12 inches at 72 ppi and yes upclose she's a little rough 

but from a distance she looks just fine.

On Halloween night my witch will be sitting at the window looking out with a 

strobe light flashing on her. She always scares the little kids...they think she's a real witch. 

They always jump and scream when they see her.

If I had the budget I'd make lots of ghosts and monsters to haunt my house in this manner. 

Maybe next year. 

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