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Halloween 2021 Sneak Peeks

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So we flew through the first 6 months of 2021, had a pit stop on the Fourth of July, and we all know what comes next: HALLOWEEN!

If you’re like me, you’ve been eating up any Halloween news that you can find, from treats to movies to new decor. I’m so freaking excited this year. Maybe it’s because this will be the first Halloween since 2016 that I’m not either pregnant or someone’s primary source of nutrition. Whatever the reason, the excitement is almost too much to bear.

Like for real. I almost teared up when I saw Dollar Tree’s announcement for their mini Halloween garden line. May have had an almost panic attack. These are truths.

Anyway, since we’re in the transition period, I thought I’d just list what we’ve seen so far.

STORES

At Home is playing like a champ and already putting out their Halloween decor. My store is slowly getting everything on the shelves, but I was able to purchase a few skull decor items and a sweet Halloween garden gnome. I’ll be checking back this weekend (if I can even wait that long).

Spirit Halloween is slowly bringing out their Halloween line. Their YouTube channel released a teaser for The Graveyard Shift about 3 weeks ago, so we know they’re about to release something fun. Store locations aren’t quite out there yet, but we can expect them at least by July 27th, which is the date they list on their store locator.

Dollar Tree’s main page advertises Spooky Halloween Fairy Garden sets (mentioned above with my panic attack), and they look super fun. Very tempted to buy multiple sets for some repaints. And I say tempted, but what I mean is I’m definitely getting multiple sets. I’ve also seen a few other new items at the Tree this year on their website, namely some sweet see-hear-speak no evil skeleton figures and palmistry hands. They’re definitely going all out once again.

Home Depot is reportedly coming back with the must have 12-foot skeleton this year, except this time around, he’s got some skin and a pumpkin face. Looks pretty sweet. Their website says they’re still counting down to the release of all their items, but I’m on pins and needles for their announcement. We all know Home Depot has become a big Halloween destination point.

Michaels and Joann have both been quickly clearancing out their summer items to give them room for their new spooky decor. Both of my local stores are clearing aisles to make way for their Halloween wares, and I’m so excited. Just call me Jessie Spano. (Ugh. I’m aging myself.)

TREATS

We’ve seen a few sweet announcements – pun intended – for new Halloween-themed treats coming our way this year. General Mills announced their monster cereals will unite for Monster Mash, which looks like a tasty mix featuring Count Chocula, Boo Berry, Franken Berry, Yummy Mummy, and Fruit Brute. Skittles announced Skittles Shriekers, Cookies and Scream M&Ms are coming back! I’ll be adding to my workout routine for sure.

ENTERTAINMENT

Can I get a big round of applause for the Halloween Kills trailer?! It was released a few weeks ago, and I think it looks amazing. Jamie Lee Curtis and fam look super done with it, and it looks gory and intense as hell. Very exciting stuff. October 15, 2021 will be epic.

American Horror Story: Double Feature premieres on August 25 with their initial episode, Cape Fear. It’s always a wild ride, and I love seeing how weird and twisty everything plays out. Also worth mentioning is the new spinoff streaming series, American Horror Stories, which starts this week. Check out Hulu on July 15.

Fear Street: 1994 and Fear Street: 1978 have already premiered on Netflix, but we also have Fear Street: 1666 to look forward to this week! These movies are so fun, and I love the nostalgia involved. I was INTO that series in high school. So great.

That’s the rundown for now, but I plan on updating the site and this list as I see things come my way. I hope everyone is getting pumped! And make sure to follow me on Facebook for store decor pics and other fun things

Halloween, Product Review

2019 Halloween Merchandise Review: Lowe’s

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It’s time for another Halloween Merchandise Review post, and this time I’m reviewing one of my favorite home improvement stores – Lowe’s.

Lowe’s generally has a pretty good selection for Halloween supplies, especially in recent years. Home Depot has upped their game so much in the Halloween department that I don’t think Lowe’s really had a choice.

They have large props (though not as many as Home Depot), inflatables, pumpkin carving supplies, home decor, skeletons, and more.

You can see from the pics above that their Halloween section is pretty full. At my local Lowe’s they had quite a few Nightmare Before Christmas items, so if that’s your theme (or if you want to stock up fro Christmas decorations), you might want to check them out. They also have a large variety of pumpkins and jack o’ lanterns – from smaller craft pumpkins to stacked light-up jacks to inflatable versions to a huge lighted pumpkin perfect for your yard.

If you have a desire for the more cutesy stuff, they have you covered there, too. I saw various scarecrow items (the smiley kind), pretty printed pillows, and other decor for fall and what I’ll call Halloween-light.

So now that I’ve given an overview, let’s get into my favorite finds.

Favorite Finds at Lowe’s

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  1. Werewolf Prop: I love a good werewolf prop (currently in the market for the right-priced one), and I really like this one. He growls, moves his mouth, and turns his head. He’s really cool, and my son liked him, too. He might be added to my collection soon.
  2. Skeletons: Now, these skeletons aren’t really any different than others I’ve seen, but they are cheap. They’re priced at $29.98 right now, so if you’re lucky enough to get one when they’ve marked everything half off, you’re going to get a heck of a deal.
  3. Radioactive Barrel: This collapsible barrel is only $14.97, and I really liked it because it’s so much easier to add to a toxic theme than a full-sized barrel. I just don’t have anywhere to store one of those, so I like that this version can easily break down and stack on a shelf.
  4. Inflatable Haunted House Entryway: I don’t really have a lot of inflatable items, but this house is a really good addition to a kid-friendly yard.
  5. Ceramic Jack-O-Lanterns: Lowe’s has these every year, and I always love them. They are sturdy and great for a garden or flower bed. If your neighbors have a problem with early Halloween decorations outdoors, I can’t imagine they’d complain about this. Baby steps.
  6. Witch Prop: This is the new Gemmy Witch product for Lowe’s this year. She’s cute and witchy and a little spooky. Great find.
  7. Inflatable Mayor: I am a huge fan of The Nightmare Before Christmas, and I always enjoy seeing all the new inflatables and other themed decorations each year. I was really happy to see this inflatable (sorry for the poor pic) because you don’t see many with The Mayor. He’s pretty cool, and Lock, Shock, and Barrel are crawling on him. He’s great.
  8. Glow-in-the-Dark Bones-in-a-Bag: You can’t have too many bones for your graveyard, and now your can have some that glow! I haven’t seen them in stores before (maybe I just missed them), so I thought they were pretty awesome. I’ll be picking up a bag because glow-in-the-dark stuff is just a no-brainer.

I had a hard time limiting my favorite things here because the selection was great. I’ll be picking up a few items there for sure.

What was your favorite thing? Let me know in the comments.

And be sure to check out my other Halloween Merchandise Reviews for 2019!

Halloween, Product Review, Uncategorized

2019 Halloween Merchandise Review: Joann

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As foretold in my previous post, I am back with another Halloween merchandise review. This one is for another craft store I’m quite fond of: Joann.

I give Michael’s the win over Joann in terms of cool indoor decor, but Joann does have some good items. They have a wide variety of craft and strangely-decorated pumpkins (I especially like the guy below with the teeth), and their animal skeleton game is on point. I mean, just look at the chicken! And the eel! I love them.

Now, if you’re looking for a reasonably priced skeleton, I would go somewhere else – probably Home Depot or Lowe’s – because their normal human skeleton is quite expensive. They go on sale frequently, though, so you can still probably get a good deal on one if you just have to get your skeletons there.

One place Joann definitely has an advantage over Michael’s is the fabric selection. Michael’s doesn’t carry fabric (at least the ones I’ve been to don’t), and Joann has a really great selection of costume fabric. I’m not the type to make my own costume, but if you are, check it out. They have everything from cutesy stuff to bloody, shredded fabric, so there should be something for everyone. You can also buy patterns for costumes there!

I’m also quite fond of the selection of food craft goodies Joann carries. They have a pretty big line of Wilton Halloween products -sprinkles, candy melts, cupcake holders, treat bags, candy molds – you name it. They also have that sweet Jack’o’lantern cake pan you can see in the pic above and a gingerbread haunted house kit. Super fun for kids.

While Michael’s might be more my thing in terms of decor, I do think Joann’s selection this year has some merits. They always have really fun pumpkins and new types of animal skeletons, and their fabric selection is pretty great. So what do I think are the best finds at Joann?

Favorite Finds at Joann

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  1. Foam Body Parts: I think this is the first year I’ve seen this. Joann usually has foam craft heads or busts, but this year they have a full skeleton! In pieces, of course, but it would be fun to get this and make it your own.
  2. Stone Skull Planter: I collect skulls. I love skulls. I anticipate this will be part of my collection. Just look at how cool it is!
  3. Vintage Framed Art: My husband and I actually said we liked this a lot at the same time, which doesn’t usually happen with Halloween stuff. I just like the cool vintage look to the print. It would look great on my wall (and probably will).
  4. Yoga Skeletons: These are a repeat from last year, but I freaking love them so much. In fact, I loved them so much last year that I dragged my sister around Fort Worth, TX to find them. They weren’t at my local store, and since we were going to be in the Dallas/Fort Worth area for a BTS concert (which was AMAZING, by the way), I had to stop on our way back to pick these cute little guys up.
  5. Roasted Pig Skeleton: I haven’t really seen many pig skeletons, and I love that this one has an apple in its mouth. Super cool.
  6. Rooster Skeleton: Like the pig, I think this is the first chicken skeleton I’ve seen. He might make his way into my collection, too.
  7. Bone Pumpkin: I love all the cool pumpkins that Joann has, and this was my fave. It’s just really unique and very my style.

All in all, I say at least take a trip to your local Joann and see what they have to offer. Who knows? You might luck out and get there when they have a really good sale.

So what do you think about Joann’s stuff this year? Hit or miss? Let me know if the comments!

Halloween, Product Review

2019 Halloween Merchandise Review: Michael’s

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It’s my favorite time of year again, and that means the Halloween merchandise is coming out at all my favorite stores. I’ll be posting a short rundown of the Halloween merchandise at each of the major stores I go to in the coming weeks.

First up: Michael’s.

If you don’t have a Michael’s near you, I definitely feel bad for you. The closest one to me is about an hour away, but fortunately, it’s close to family, so I get to go to it a few times a year. I’m a fan of both Hobby Lobby and Joann, as well, for my craft supplies, but Michael’s just seems better to me in a lot of ways. Maybe it’s just because I dont’ have one close.

Anyway, when Halloween comes around, I’m especially excited to get to take a trip to Michael’s because they really do have some cool Halloween stuff. And they seem to be the first store to really put their items on the shelves. Check it out.

One thing I’ve noticed so far this year during my Halloween shopping trips is the new types of skeletons being offered. We’ve had a huge variety of animals to choose from, and now it seems that the mermaid and unicorn crazes have leeched into the Halloween world. Dragons are also making some appearances. Yep, we’ve got magical skeletons now. We saw some last year, but they’re now widely available.

I never really caught on to the whole mermaid/unicorn thing, but I can appreciate the effort. Michael’s doesn’t have a unicorn, but you can catch a pic of a unicorn skeleton in my upcoming post about the merchandise at Big Lots.

One of my favorite things about the selection at Michael’s is they have the type of Halloween decor that is most likely to make it into my year-round decorating. I mean, check out these awesome pillows and skeleton ceramics. I freaking love them (not counting the selfie skeletons and the one on the toilet – not my cup of tea).

Favorite Finds at Michael’s

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  1. Halloween Miniatures: If you’ve seen my dollhouse posts (start here), you know I love miniatures. So Halloween miniatures are, of course, going to be a big deal to me. Michael’s had a really good selection when I first arrived, but it looks like everyone else thought so, too, because most of them were gone when I went back. Sadness.
  2. Skull Moon & Raven: I just thought this guy looked really cool. They had a few moon-themed items, and this was probably my favorite.
  3. Vintage Decor: I don’t know what it is, but vintage Halloween stuff has really started to jump out at me when I see it. It just looks cool. Cute, but not too cute.
  4. Rubber Boa Constrictor: Who doesn’t love a huge fake snake?
  5. Rubber Spider: I almost got him, but I didn’t because I’m looking for a spider that spins a web. I go for realism when possible. Now, I regret not going ahead and buying him.
  6. Animated Witch: She was the only big animated prop at Michael’s, and I thought she was really cool.
  7. Skulls: I love the variety of skulls Michael’s has to offer. Giant ones, little ones, normal ones – just great.
  8. Yoga Skeleton Pillow: I love the yoga skeleton thing, and I really want to get this pillow for my living room.

If you have a chance to go to Michael’s, I highly recommend it. The prices are pretty reasonable, and if you can catch a sale or use a coupon, you can get a really great deal. They also have a fun variety of animal props. I bought a zombie squirrel here last year and a huge frog the year before that.

Have you had a chance to go to Michael’s this season and take a look at their Halloween merchandise? Let me know about your favorite find in the comments.

Halloween

Halloween Lingers

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I’m still finding Halloween items at some of my favorite stores.  It’s not all grade-A material, but if you’re looking to satisfy your Halloween fix – you know, just to tide you over – then let me suggest checking out the following stores:

Kohl’s

I’m not sure if your Kohl’s is the same as mine, but my local store has a whole section of clearance merchandise tucked away in a random home decor and bedding aisle.  If you’re up for some spelunking, you should be able to find something to your liking.  Maybe a placemat or two.

Barnes & Noble

Being the sales guru I am, I know that Barnes & Noble stores do a seasonal clearance at least twice a year, usually at the very beginning of the year after the holidays are over and then again somewhere in the middle.  I went to scope out the sitch a few days ago and was quite pleasantly surprised to find a few fun goodies.

They also had this cool book that let you create your own zombie out of their flip pages:

Check out this cool one I made:

Those two stores are the best I’ve found for having old items still hanging around, but you should also check out clearance sections anywhere including Michael’s, Tuesday Morning, and many more.

Of course, if none of that does it for you, just make your own post-season Halloween crafts and feel good knowing that Halloween is only a short 284 days away…

Creepy Crafts, DIY Horror, Halloween

5 Ways to Use a Dollar Tree Skull

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It’s no secret that I love Dollar Tree, and one of the reasons I love it so, so much for my Halloween shopping is that you can make so many of their items look more expensive with only a little bit of work.

Of all the Halloween items they carry, their skulls are my favorite.  I always pick up a few each year.  This year, just to help you out, I bought a few more than usual to play around with.  But with them being just a dollar, it was totally worth it.

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1. Use metallic spray paint to make your skulls look at home in any chic Halloween setup.

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2. Who doesn’t love a sugar skull?  Spray paint a skull white and go to town with multicolored sharpies, paint pens, stickers, and jewels.  It’ll look great at any Day of the Dead celebration.

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3. Transform a skull into a mini jack-o-lantern by carving it with a craft knife.   Insert a flameless tea light and – voila! – glowing skull!  You can even spray paint it orange for a faux skull pumpkin or other colors to match your decor.

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4. Make your skull look gross and creepy – and much more like a high-end prop – by using the corpsing technique I outlined here.

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5. Grab a few items you probably already have on hand and make this cool hanging ghost.  Read the tutorial here.

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SO. MUCH. FUN.  I hope you try out a few of these projects because you’ll be missing out if you don’t.  Let me know how your projects work out in the comments. Happy Haunting!

Creepy Crafts, DIY Horror, Halloween, Props

Reaper Madness: How to Make an Easy Floating Ghost

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Nothing dresses up a yard at Halloween time more than a floating ghost.  Stores carry these guys plus floating zombies, monsters, and clowns, but they can get pretty pricey for some reason.  Luckily for you, these are crazy easy to make.  Please follow along, class.

First, as with all projects, you need to gather your materials.

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For your floating ghost, you will need the following:

  • A plastic skull
  • Creepy cloth
  • String
  • A wire hanger
  • Foam pipe cover
  • Pliers
  • Box cutter (not pictured)
  • Outdoor duct tape (not pictured)

You can buy a skull and creepy cloth from Dollar Tree, so this project is not only easy; it’s insanely cheap.  The foam pipe cover is pretty inexpensive, too.  You can get a package at any hardware store for a couple of bucks.  They actually sell white foam cover, too, but for this project I went with the dark gray.

After you’ve gathered your items, it’s time to start the assembly.

First, you need to make holes in the top and bottom of your skull.  Cut a small hole in the top and one that’s a little larger in the bottom.  You won’t be able to see them when you’re finished, so don’t worry about being exactly even.

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Next up, it’s time to make the shoulders (yes, your ghost will have shoulders) and attach it to the head.   My wire hanger was one with the cardboard middles, so I’d recommend using the same kind.  If you only have a full wire hanger, you’ll need to untwist the hanger and shape it so you have a hook in the middle or just use a wire cutter to cut the middle of the bottom hanger bar.

Straighten out the sides of your hanger to make the shoulders of your ghost.

Add the foam pipe to the shoulders on each side and secure in the middle with duct tape.  Use outdoor duct tape for the best results.  That stuff works miracles.

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Tie your string together to make a circle, and thread it through the bottom of your head up through the top hole or vice versa.  Take the hook of the hanger and thread it through the string from the bottom hole.

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After you hook the string, pull it through to secure your ghost.  Add a few small pieces of duct tape to the top hole to keep the string from dropping through.  When you’re finished, it will look like this:

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Your last step is adding the creepy cloth.  Just drape it over the ghost’s shoulders and head, threading the string through a hole in the cloth to secure it.  You can add as much or as little as you want depending on how transparent you want your ghost to be.

Tada!!!  Your ghost is finished!

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Doesn’t he look cool?  It was so easy that I plan on making a few more.

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So there you go.  You just made a cool decoration for your yard.  And the beauty of this little project is that you can change it up quite easily.  You can do all sorts of variations to make different kinds of ghosts or other types of monsters.  

  • Paint the head with glow paint.
  • Use white foam cover and cheesecloth to create a classic ghost.
  • Use a foam head with a mask.  
  • Add lights along the shoulders or draped down under the cloth.  
  • Add hands with extra wire and duct tape.
  • Use longer, stronger wire to make a gigantic creature.  

There are so many possibilities.  Not to go self-help on you, but the only thing limiting yourself is you.

I hope you enjoyed this quick and easy tutorial.  If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment or shoot me a message through the contact page.  Happy Haunting!

Creepy Crafts, DIY Horror, Halloween, Props

Corpsing A Skeleton: An Easy Guide

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I just discovered my favorite Halloween DIY project today: corpsing a skeleton.  I’d been hesitant to try it before because I’d only seen tutorials that used sticky adhesive or latex, and I’m cheap enough to not want to “mess up” one of my skeletons.  But after finding a tutorial online that only involved plastic sheeting, a heat gun, and some stain and realizing that I can pick up a new skeleton any time I need, I decided to try it out.

It’s way simpler than I thought it would be, and I love the results.  If you have a skull or skeleton or even just a bone lying around, you should seriously think about giving corpsing a try.

First off, let’s talk supplies.

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To corpse a skeleton or skeleton part, you need the following:

  • Skeleton/skull/bone
  • Plastic drop cloth
  • Heat gun
  • Spray adhesive (optional)
  • Varnish (assorted colors)
  • Box cutter/scissors
  • Rubber gloves

Speaking of heat guns, just look at this beauty I picked up this weekend, care of a well-timed gift card to Lowe’s from my husband.  He’s a good man.

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I’m going to go through this step-by-step as if you’re doing a full skeleton, but you can use the technique for whatever part your corpsing.

If you opt to use spray adhesive (and I highly recommend that you do), lightly spray the torso of your skeleton.  Cut a section of drop cloth to the length of the torso, and start wrapping.  You can wrap the full plastic around the torso at one time, or you can wrap in sections.

After you’ve wrapped the torso of your skeleton, it’s time to break out the heat gun.  Focus the heat gun on the plastic, making sure not to stay in one area too long (you don’t want to melt your skeleton).  You should also focus the heat on different sections of your plastic to melt holes strategically around your skeleton.  Corpses don’t rot neatly (I should know), and you don’t want your nasty guy looking too Martha Stewart perfect.  Play around with it.  If you don’t like what you see, add more plastic, and melt it again.

Repeat on each section of the skeleton.  I recommend going in the following order:

  1. Torso
  2. Arms
  3. Legs
  4. Pelvis (overlapping the legs)
  5. Shoulders (overlapping the torso and arms)
  6. Neck
  7. Skull

This is what your skeleton should look like after torso and arms wrapped and shrunk.

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For the hands and feet, you need to use your box cutter or scissors to cut the plastic around the fingers and toes.  Then, shrink the cut plastic around the smaller bones.

When adding plastic to your skull, it’s much harder to wrap like the other areas, so this is where the spray adhesive really comes in handy.  Take smaller squares of the plastic and spray lightly with the adhesive.  Smash the sprayed plastic on the skull without keeping it straight.  It looks best when it isn’t perfectly flat.  Add heat, and when it looks right to you, you’re finished.

Next is my favorite part of any project: making it pretty!

Using a foam brush, dab whatever color of stain you’re using to the plastic on your skeleton.  You can use any combo of colors you want.  I went with a red and dark brown combo because I wanted my corpse to have that human-jerky look.

After dabbing color on a section, use a paper towel to smear and spread the stain around to hide any brush marks and blend your colors.  When you’re finished and the stain is dry, dry-brush the full skeleton to highlight the sinewy effect of the melted plastic.  I used a moss green here, and I really liked the result.

These are some other color combos you can use:

  • Bloody corpse: red stain with a little black stain added; bright red dry-brushing
  • Toxic corpse: green, gray, and black stains; lime green dry-brushing
  • Buried corpse: light tan and brown stains; black dry-brushing
  • Burnt corpse: dark brown and black stains with red highlights; orange dry-brushing
  • Moldy corpse: green, brown, and tan stains; light green/blue dry-brushing

Play around with it.  There are so many different kinds of paints and stains out there that you can get any look you want.

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And here’s a close-up of my guy.  The pic really doesn’t do him justice.  He’s much better in person, and I’ve already gotten quite a few compliments.

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I really hope my newfound corpsing enthusiasm takes some of the trepidation out of corpsing your own props.  I also had a little fun corpsing a Dollar Tree skull, but I’m saving that for another post.  Let me know in the comments if you have any questions or just send me a pic of your project!

And if you’re interested in some other fun things you can make for Halloween, please check out my other tutorials below!

Halloween, Product Review

2016 Halloween Merchandise Review: Dollar Tree

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Oh, Dollar Tree, what would I do without you?

If you’re looking to decorate your whole house for Halloween and throw a party from scratch, I beg you to go to Dollar Tree to check out their awesome merchandise.  As the name implies, everything is $1, and you would be amazed at how good their Halloween selection is.

Just check out this awesomeness:

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They’ve got tombstones, cemetery fences, signs, holographic pictures, candy dishes, party plates, costumes, door hangers, napkins, treats, props, and so much more.

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If you’re looking for some fun party favors or treat bags, go here first.

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They have some great skeleton and skull merchandise.  No, they don’t have a full-size skeleton prop like some of the bigger stores, but they do have skulls, bone hands, and other items.  C’mon.  It’s all $1.

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Also, if you need to get creepy cloth, they have different colors to choose from.  It’s usually $3-$5 at most stores, so it’s definitely a deal here.

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I was also pretty impressed by their spider, rat, and bat selection this year.  Quite lovely.

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I’ll end my short review of my favorite cheap store by talking a little bit about the tongs below.  I bought a pair of these last year.  Target was selling something similar for $15, so these are a damn good deal.  Buy them. Buy five.

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If you didn’t get it already, I’m kinda in love with Dollar Tree’s Halloween stuff.  Another cool thing about this store is that the items can be dressed up or repurposed in Halloween crafts or other props since everything is so cheap.  I’ll even be doing a few posts about using Dollar Tree stuff in your Halloween decor.

So if you’re wondering where to go to start your decorating, run to Dollar Tree as fast as your little legs can take you.

Halloween, Product Review

2016 Halloween Merchadise Review: Gordman’s

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Gordman’s has never been a big draw for me for Halloween merchandise because it usually only has the cutesier items just for decoration.  If you’re looking for just home decor items, you should check them out because they have a pretty good selection.  I was pleasantly surprised that they had an actual prop this year – even if it was a little overpriced.

It seems like there was more of a limited selection this year than for previous Halloweens, but they still had a pretty good mix of items:

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They had some pretty cool pumpkins and jack o’ lanterns for general fall decorating.  I especially liked the black/white and gold variety two pics below:

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A few items were less cute and more scary.  Check out these zombie and ghoul stand ups in the pic below.  They stood about 2 feet tall each, so they wouldn’t be considered a real prop, but they’re pretty cool.

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As always, skeleton and skull items get my attention faster than anything else, so you can imagine that I kinda fell in love with this little guy.  I might catch him when I do my post-Halloween discount shopping.

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Although I don’t like cute Halloween items as a general rule, I do love me a good countdown clock.  This one was pretty cool:

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And as I said before, they actually had a full-size prop this year.  Check out this bad boy:

Processed with Snapseed.
Processed with Snapseed.

I got up close and personal with him to get a good pic of his face.  I really like the detail.

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With the exception of the prop, everything was reasonably priced.  I’d compare the prices to TJ Maxx and Home Goods.  The prop itself was priced at a little over $200, which for a prop that only lights up and doesn’t move, is a little too much.