I got it into my head to set up a really cool looking pumpkin/jack o'lantern patch for this coming Halloween. So I began to scour ebay to see what kind of deals I might be able to get as well as searching through Amazon.com.
Ebay is normally where I go looking for bargains tho' you have to be careful as people can ask for outrageous pricing for their stuff!
So I picked up a few that I found that seemed to be reasonably priced to me. A few of them have slight flaws however but that's ok!
The first here has a very hard shell and there is no opening for an electrical cord in the back so it looks like I would have to slide a pumpkin light, a small one or a battery tea-light inside it's mouth. Still, it looks really cool! I could drill a hole in it but I'd rather not do that so I do have a small flickering light, battery operated, just for jack o'lanterns that I will use. I got this one from ebay seller: want-it-back
The next one, is this one here that looks like a squash. I loved it as I have been on the lookout for odd and different looking jack o'lanterns. Tho' this one has a happy face on it, still, it looks neat. It does have one little scrape on the side but nothing really noticeable. It is electric however so that makes it nice. This one is from ebay seller: damel3
Third one I picked up is another electric one that is a skinny shaped one that looks like "Stretch", the one ghost uncle from the Caspar movie! I loved that movie! Wouldn't you just love to own Whipstaff, the mansion?! Nice! I'd love to get the other two uncles of course if I can ever find them or if they even made them? He does have a bigger flaw of a scrape on the side of him but I will probably color it in with an orange sharpie. It is from ebay seller: andyjandy
I got asked recently how do I manage to find the time or energy for it all? Well, I do start early and my mind is always going with thinking up ideas and going over & analyzing what worked and what did not work from the year before. I keep trying to improve on things and once I get it down to where things went smoothly, I'll continue that part of it every time then, for example, the black light in the cave...that is just really awesome! So I continue that each year.
I'll be utilizing that cement I have left too and make some tombstones and those Egyptian slabs and see if my daughter might like to paint hieroglyphics on the sides of it! I am still trying to see it in my mind how to make my own sarcophagus, at least the head portion of it. I may utilize the tiki man face mold and build off that.
Will be great fun to create it all!
Well I have two more pumpkins/jack o'lanterns coming yet and I'll show you them when I get them both in. They are from ebay again. I'll probably lay off the jack o'lanterns for now and start to focus on tombstones in the coming months.
Check out the new (OBOD) Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids website! Spectacular update and new look! It has a much more warm and welcoming and friendly feeling to it, very spiritual and earthy!
Nice job Damh the Bard and everyone who had a hand in the facelift!
I know, it seems like a very long time away but truly, it's just 9 more months! That will go by very fast and as I don't like to drop a lot of money just before, I prefer to keep an eye out on special deals for odd kind of props or things that the stores are wanting to get rid of.
By now, most of the local stores have gotten rid of their Halloween items. I was able to pick up over 100 gift bags that were on sale for a nickel apiece I believe I paid. Yes, mere pennies! You know they lost out on that deal! I was like wow! They were really nice bags, tall and thick kind of paper too. I plan on using them for the extras that I give away this year instead of having a bowl or box for the kids to sort through which is very tedious and time consuming and keeps them at my house longer than necessary and many don't bother with it or if we are too busy, we can forget to remind them to stop by and pick something out.
So to help things along, I plan on having all these bags set up and filled with different things and that way, the kids can just take a bag and go. Much, much easier!
What will be in them? Well I was thinking of making cupcakes and putting them into those cupcake cardboard boxes and then place a few trinkets inside each bag, a glow stick or pixie stick or something like that. Something fun! Several fun things actually!
The bags I can set up ahead of time with the trinkets inside them and then the cupcakes, I'll bake them a couple days before and decorate them all the day before. Kroger was the store that had the bags on sale. I was so excited and bought every one they had! I plan on looking for more of those bags after each holiday that are kinda plain that I might be able to use for Halloween.
Onward to props! I keep an eye out for things that seem like a good deal to me on ebay. I tend not to bid too high but sometimes, some things never get bid on and you can get them at the lowest bid asked for! You'd be surprised! Just be careful about the shipping prices as many places can say they are selling something for 5 dollars but when you look at the shipping of $16 and add that in, then you are looking at $21! Outrageous and kinda sneaky too if you ask me.
So what have I picked up so far? I was able to pick up some skull driveway markers/lawn stakes that light up. I got them on ebay for $9.99 each for a set of 5 in each box and I picked up 4 boxes. It was a pretty good deal as I have not seen these anywhere else.
I've also picked up the thrashing mummy that Improvements Catalog is selling and I really like him alot! I plan on doing an Egyptian corner in my daughter's fairy garden. So now I will be on the lookout for some scarabs and already found some plastic dung beetles that will look really good and may see about getting some bulk snakes. The only thing left would be some of those canopic jars. I'd love to make them and hand paint them too! That would be so much fun! I am not sure how to make them as of yet unless I just purchase some cheap clay pots or vases and then go from there. It should be a fun project however if I get the urge to do so.
Doesn't he look creepy?! Yipes!
I also picked up a couple headstones from Improvements Catalog that has fiber optic lighting in them. They look really cool!
My cat Misty, aka: Princess Roo couldn't resist checking them out! You should too! These are not the flimsy styrofoam types but heavy duty and thick gravestones!
Plus, I purchased several spider web shepherd hooks and again, I was able to get everything on sale and discounted greatly!! It's really the best way to go!
Spider Web Shepherd's Hooks on Sale!
So keep an eye out on ebay or other stores that might have some of the Halloween stuff kinda hidden away on their clearance sections.
You never know the treasures you may find!
*Bugs n Hisses*
It has been so exciting to hear of the latest news of Stonehenge! They have been doing some studies and conducting some digs and they are finding out more and more information all the time!
Have a look at this site with the latest story that I saw on Philip Carr-Gomm's blog:
Sun Worship
It is wild to note how long this particular site has been in use for worship and astrological observances.
For more interesting posts on Druidry, do check out Philip's site: Philip's Weblog
I've been to Stonehenge once several years ago and I am planning to return with my daughter in 2013.
