Tag Archives: skulls

Halloween, Product Review

2019 Halloween Merchandise Review: Dollar Tree

Leave a comment

One of my favorite places to go when Halloween rolls around is Dollar Tree. There are two reasons for this:

  1. They have some really cool stuff.
  2. I’m really cheap.

You can really find some great items here, so let’s take a look at what they have.

They have a good variety for their relatively small selection. Costume pieces, party supplies, props, general decor – they’ve got it all. They even have skeleton animals now (i.e, rats, birds, bats, & spiders). And everything is only $1!

That’s both good and dangerous. I can’t stop myself from buying $1 Halloween supplies. I lack that kind of will power.

Anyway, I can always count on them to have some really cool things that will fit in with my Halloween style. Luckily, at only $1, even things that might not fit or might look a little too cheap can be modified with little investment. For example, see my post about the different ways to use a Dollar Tree skull.

And speaking of the skulls, let’s get into my favorite finds.

Favorite Finds at Dollar Tree

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  1. Plastic Eyeballs: I love items that I know I can use in other places. Plastic eyes are great for large props. For instance, I’m thinking of adding them inside some of the masks I use for my larger props. You could make easy glowing eyes with a string of lights and a craft knife, or you could use them as filler for a vase. Lots of options here.
  2. Hanging Witch: They haven’t had much in the way of hanging props in previous years, so I was happy to see this chick on their wall. She’s pretty bland right now, but with a little paint and some added creepy cloth (not pictured, but Dollar Tree also has multiple colors to choose from), she’ll look pretty great.
  3. Chains: Who couldn’t use more chains in their Halloween display? Right. No one.
  4. Skulls: Back to the skulls. I always pick a few of these up every year because they can be used in so many ways for so many props. Love these things.
  5. Skeleton Garland: This can be used to make some really cool centerpieces or maybe to decorate a mantel. You could take them apart and make miniature displays.
  6. Skeleton Glasses: These are, of course, plastic, but if you’re throwing a Halloween party, these would come in handy and look really cool.
  7. Skeleton Tongs: I love these guys. They are actually really good quality. They’re plastic, but they’re quite sturdy. You can use them as intended or even stick them out of the ground for some grave decorations.

So if you couldn’t tell already, I highly recommend Dollar Tree. I’m going to be posting later about some of my item makeovers, so check back soon!

What is your favorite find this year at Dollar Tree? Let me know in the comments!

Halloween, Product Review

2019 Halloween Merchandise Review: Michael’s

Leave a comment

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

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  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, Product Review

2016 Halloween Merchandise Review: Kirkland’s

Leave a comment

I’m not that big of a fan of Kirkland’s just because I don’t like looking at the type of decorative items the stores carry, but I thought I’d venture inside one a few weeks ago to see what their Halloween selection looked like.

add-hethe-fright-owlsading2

They are definitely lower on my list for Halloween merchandise providers, but I admit that they had some fun stuff.  I’m going to apologize in advance for the picture quality.  This store was worse than Bath and Body Works regarding the VERY fragrant aroma in the air as I walked in.  I felt like I was slapped in the face hard by 15 different air fresheners.  That being said, I was in a hurry to get out of there, and my pictures suffered.

Here’s blurry pic of some cute ghosts and pumpkins along with a cool Day of the Dead platter at the bottom:

image

Here’s another of the back of the same shelf.  Their stuff is definitely more on the cutesy side of the Halloween merchandise spectrum, but I think everyone could find at least one thing they liked out of their selection.

image

For instance, I really liked this metal guy:

image

They also had some pretty cool canvas pictures, including this one of trick-or-treaters out on Halloween night and the one below of a cool haunted house.

image

image

Right before I fled to save my nostrils and avoid a headache from the overpowering smell, I saw this:

image

I think the pillows at the bottom were adorable, and I’m always game for anything skull related.  The little nutcracker-like dolls on the top shelf were pretty cool, too.

So would I go back to Kirkland’s for their Halloween stuff?  Probably not, but I can see where their items would appeal to certain types of Halloween decorators.  If you’re looking for scariness or gore, this ain’t it, but if you want cute and accessible, try it out.

Halloween, Product Review

2016 Halloween Merchandise Review: Michaels

Leave a comment

I. Love. Michaels.  Every year, I look forward to their Halloween merchandise, and I’m happy to say that I wasn’t disappointed this time.

Unfortunately for me, my town doesn’t have a Michaels, so I have to settle on going to the one near my parents.  Fortunately for you, I was due for a visit this past weekend, so I was able to go look at all of their wonderful, creepy goodies.

add-hethe-fright-owlsading4

First of all, let’s talk about Spooky Town.  I love miniatures, so of course I’m going to love a little town of mini creepy houses and creatures.

image

They had some really cute new miniatures, including my two favorites:

imageimage

Ain’t they adorable?

As always, Michaels has a great mixture of creepy props, fun decorations, and craft supplies.  They’re definitely my favorite of the craft stores when it comes to Halloween.

image

image

image

image

image

This guy right here will be mine at the end of the season.  I should have used a banana for scale, but I didn’t think about it at the time, but he’s pretty big.  He’d look great next to a witch’s cauldron.

image

This animated prop was pretty awesome, too.  A tad overpriced in my opinion at $69.99, but still cool.  Again, I screwed up, this time by not getting a video of the guy in action, but he basically just moves back and forth with his hands while shouting profanity and racial slurs.

Just kidding.   I wanted to make sure you were paying attention.  He moves around and groans. No offensive language for Michaels.

image

And I don’t know what it is about these ceramic heads, but I freaking adore them.  They have skulls, Frankenstein’s monster, jack o’lanterns, mini skulls, and skeleton hands.  You can paint these to fit your decor, or just leave them as is and pair with anything you want.

image

I would totally recommend going to Michaels if you’re lucky enough to have one in your area.  The items aren’t overpriced, and if you’re a cheapo like me, you can always use a coupon or just catch them on sale.