It’s been a crazy busy season here at Le Maison Folle’ (our home in Yucca Valley, California) but I managed to put together a little Halloween House Tour for you. No new decorations this year except the creepy big voodoo doll on the voodoo altar, which I made using a child mannequin, a burlap coffee bag, skewers, buttons and hot glue. Enjoy!
Tag Archives: halloween diy
Happy Halloween 2021! Decorations at the New House + Stylish Black Skeleton Torso DIY
,Happy Halloween! Yes I am Waaay late this year, but here it is All Hallow’s Eve and I finally have a minute to get this post up 🙂 Things are still in progress at the new house and with the state of things we are not entertaining this year so our Halloween decor is a bit simpler than in years past but I LOVE HALLOWEEN, so even if it’s just for the 2 of us I had to do it. If you’ve been following my blog for awhile you’ll recognize many of the same decorations from our last 2 houses just used in new ways. The one new thing I added this year is the pair of black skeleton torsos with golden hearts (DIY below) inspired by similar pieces spied on Tik Tok. But first, this year’s house decor!
The Front Courtyard Entry.
Lots of mums and pumpkins! Mostly from Trader Joe’s and Home Depot. The dogs we’ve had for a few years now (a post-Halloween sale find). I put strings of orange lights in the rib cages. The best part is I can easily transition to Fall by taking away the dogs, black fabric and skeletons.
And lastly, the Stylish Black Skeleton DIY
These were very easy. I bought 2 very cheap plastic skeletons, removed the limbs (I painted the arms black and used them on the mantle, the unpainted legs are tucked among the plants lining the driveway with other assorted old skeleton parts), spray painted them black using a gloss plastic spray paint (Home Depot). I bought 2 plastic anatomical hearts on Amazon and spray painted them shiny gold. These hearts I hot glued inside the rib cages. I then added a twist of wire on the back and hung them on the doors on removable sticky hooks.
Until next year! Planning to go really big 🙂 Please follow this blog for more decorating inspiration!
DIY Necronomicon! Happy Halloween!
I’ve been wanting to do this for years…Necronomicon Halloween prop!
I started with a hardbound artist sketch book, but you could use any old hardbound book. The thrift store would be a great place to find one.
I used brown paper grocery bags, ModgePodge (white glue would work just fine), and Celluclay.
First I created a base by wrapping the book with the brown paper. I used ModgePodge mixed with 50% water (white glue in the same proportion would work fine). I brushed it on the book to help hold the paper, then wrapped the paper and taped on the inside.
For the next layer I soaked the brown paper in the 50/50 solution, crunched it up to wrinkle it and give it texture, then added it to the front cover. I wrinkled it up around the edges to give it the right look.
Next I mixed up the Celluclay. It is basically paper pulp used for sculpting. It is easy to use, mixes with water and dries hard and ready to sand, paint, or add to. In this case I used the 50/50 solution, as I had extra, and it worked great.
I formed the chunky bits with my fingers and spread the Celluclay on the cover, looking at my reference photo for guidance. I used a chopstick and flat screwdriver to press and gouge.
At this point I let it dry till the next day when it was ready to paint. I could have sanded it a bit to smooth it out but this was good enough for me 🙂 I let it dry overnight.
I used acrylic paints, starting with a dark layer to give depth in the deeper areas.
I used it watery then dabbed off the excess with a rag.
Next came the more flesh-toned layer. I mixed my own but you could easily just buy an appropriate flesh-tone paint. This is brushed on a bit more lightly, and watery. I again dabbed up the excess with a rag.
The final paint layer is light highlights. I used white mixed with the flesh-tone, fairly watery, and lightly brushed it across the highest parts, again dabbing off with a rag to blend and get up the excess.
I am very happy with the end result.
My very own Necronomicon! Ashy Slashy would be proud 🙂
It’s HALLOWEEN!! Part 3 of 3 Spooky Decor 2019: Saved the Best for Last…
It’s HALLOWEEN!! I’ve saved the best for last. I do most of the decorating in the dining area, as it can be seen from every part of of the house and is a pass-through to other rooms. Our Victorian Glam Goth theme is in full swing…
The table, center of it all, is where I usually put the most attention. This year I added a black sequin table topper from Amazon and led candles on sale from Costco. Everything else we’ve had for years.
This is Mistress Tia, our Voodoo Queen, standing at her Voodoo altar. We used to have her in our entry at the old house, but that doesn’t work here. My husband had the great idea of putting her on our covered back porch looking in. I love it, so spooky. (Mistress Tia is a vintage mannequin dressed in one of my old handmade Halloween costumes).
I kept the kitchen bar counter more simple and elegant this year, to go with the table decor.
I still love these little monster portraits I added a plastic spider to cover the pin in the wall. (Artwork by Travis Louie)
Have a Delightfully Spooky Halloween!! Thanks for looking 🙂
It’s HALLOWEEN!! Part 2 of 3 Spooky Decor 2019: Come Inside…
(See Part 1 HERE)
It’s HALLOWEEN!! My very favorite holiday. Come inside for a look. I’m calling this year’s decor Victorian Goth. Every year I try and use our old decorations in new ways. We do have a couple new things this year, cute ceramic creepy eyes from Target, and paper bats from Amazon. Some of the pumpkins came from our own garden, the rest are from Trader Joe’s.
The Front Room
I love these creepy little ceramic eyes from Target. I have sprinkled them all over the house. This is just inside the entry door.
Our old black skeleton has seen better days, but is still having a ball sitting on top of our antique wood stove. He’s sitting in a bit of a forest thanks to an early freeze here in Salt Lake (I had to bring the plants in early this year). (Link to the garland DIY HERE)
Even my desk gets a bit of spirit.
These shiny paper bats from Amazon form a colony across the wall and onto the ceiling. They were super easy to apply, and came with their own sticky pads.
The garden window in the kitchen gets a little touch of Halloween.
…and here is a Sneak Peak of the Main Event (the Best will be Part 3!)
Day & Night on the kitchen bar counter.
My beloved Victorian Halloween collection (all reproductions collected over the years) adorn the side table in the dining room with a couple of framed Monster prints (art by Travis Louie). One of my favorite Halloween tricks is replacing the usual artwork hanging on the wall with creepy art.
I’ve saved the Best for Last…Part 3 tomorrow!
It’s HALLOWEEN!! Part 1 of 3 Spooky Decor for 2019: OUTSIDE
It’s HALLOWEEN!! My favorite holiday. I’m one of those annoying neighbors who puts up the decoration in September. I try to change it up each year, using the same items in different ways. The only new things outside this year are the fresh pumpkins, flowers, and terracotta pots for the crows.
I still love my skeleton howling dogs, snagged at 75% off at Big Lots a couple years ago. The human skeleton was a dumpster find.
I really like the way my planters turned out this year. It’s a combination of mums, ornamental kale and cabbage, ornamental peppers, black pansies and the only surviving plants from the Summer plantings, Creeping Jenny and purple petunias. I added a little dried Spanish moss to cover the edges. This will transition nicely into thanksgiving as well.
This fun scene was my husband’s idea, the crows feasting on the skeleton. The dog skeleton looking at the dead guy was a gift from a Burning Man camp-mate this year.
The Crows! I’ve had these plastic crow decoys for well over a decade. I admittedly stole this idea from the amazingly talented owner of 5 Green Boxes in Denver, CO. I went to a yard sale she had at her gorgeous home about 16-17 years ago where she had these crows in pots on her fence. I’ve finally made it happen, though I’m sure not as well as she did 🙂 The terracotta pots are from Home Depot, I painted them to match the fence.
A couple more crows flank the entry gate. The sign on the gate is another old dumpster find.
I kept it more simple around the door this year, a bit more elegant. All my fancy pumpkins and the mums came from Trader Joe’s, the big orange one from Costco. I made the Victorian-looking banner years ago, here’s a link to the DIY. One of these days I need to create a nice way to cover up those electrical boxes…
That’s it for Part 1! We’ll move inside for Part 2 and 3. Follow this Blog and see it all!
Thanks for looking 🙂
Halloween 2016 Decor Part 2 – the Main Room
Welcome to Halloween Decor 2016 Part 2! The Main Room is our party room, the first room in the house through the entry and the one seen through the front window, and so, it is the room that gets the most attention. Ie: all the coolest Halloween stuff. Just about everything is either diy or found at thrift stores and yard sales.
Above is an admittedly crappily pieced-together panorama of the main room. (hey, photoshop isn’t my strong suit)Â (see the Voodoo entry on the right in Part 1) Here are some details:
Looking into the main room from the entry.
Beware the Crawling Eye! A Fun Halloween DIY Using an Exercise Ball and Old Sheets.
 
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
It’s my favorite holiday, so I tend to go a little nuts. This year I added some new fun with an eye theme in the front yard, with the Crawling Eye as the centerpiece (based on the admittedly awful 1950’s sci-fi movie by the same name.) Here’s the DIY:
the Year of Living Fabulously 