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A Spin
on Cobwebs
A good
twist on the previous cobwebs listed on this Projects
page,
just before your
guests arrive, use a bowl of water to moisten the threads so they
will feel slimy as everyone walks through them. It's actually
quite gross!
Alternative
Pumpkins
An old Irish
tradition is to carve green peppers as Jack-O-Lanterns. You
have to remember that pumpkins are not native to Ireland so they
used other things for Jack-O-Lanterns. Open your fridge and
see what else you can use, for a different look. You can have
a whole row of them, or mix them up with the shrunken apple
heads. Don't forget about the red and yellow peppers too. Try
hanging them from strong string as well, at the door. You can
also put sticks through them and place them around your garden
etc. Use tea lites to illuminate them.
Monster Footprints
With a magic marker, draw a footprint on a big sponge. Cut out the
footprint. Pour washable paint in an 1/8 inch aluminum pan. Press
the sponge in the paint and sponge footsteps up your sidewalk to
your front door for trick-or-treaters to follow, or around the side
of your dark, spooky house. Flip the sponge upside down to stamp the
other foot. Use your hose and some detergent to remove the
footprints after. It is very important to buy washable paint!!
Floating Monsters
Start
with a piece of cheesecloth 2 yards long and 1 yard wide. Place a
helium filled balloon (white is best) in the middle of the fabric
and gather loosely around balloon. Use
a cheap rubber mask from the store and attach it to the cheesecloth
(I use rubber bands and tape. Place
them in your windows, flowers boxes, attached to chairs on your
porch etc.
Cobwebs
A
good twist on the previous cobwebs listed on the first Projects
page, just before your guests arrive, use a bowl of water to moisten
the threads so they will feel slimy as everyone walks through them.
It’s actually quite gross!
Ghost/Monster
in the Window
Use
those lawn ornaments that light up in whatever shape you want.
Put in one of your windows and plug it in. It is simple but
makes for a cool effect in the dark.

Graveyard
You can
either buy tombstones from your local party store, or you can make
tombstones from this page of Projects,
but use styrofoam instead and place the tombstones around your
yard. Use those lanterns that run on batteries to give the
tombstones an eerie effect in the dark. Add some wooden
crosses for a different effect.
Casket
Corpse
This is
a project for the handy person as it requires some carpentry
skill. Build a coffin in the old style shape. See image
below. you can put hinges on it, or place the lid askew from
the box part. Make Mummy found Here,
and use it as
your corpse for the coffin, or make your own style of corpse and
have it coming out of the coffin. Use wire or strong string to
hold him up, either from branches, or from your porch ceiling etc.

Michael
Myers in Window
Follow
the directions for the mummy found here,
but dress him in
all black clothes. You can make a plain white mask with paper
mache, by covering half a balloon with paper mache, dry it and paint
it white with black eyes. Or you buy a Michael Myers mask from
a store and put it on your body. Hang Myers in the window and
use either white, red or blue xmas lights to illuminate the
figure. Try to have them light up the mask so it actually
looks like Mike Myers.

How
to Make Slime
A few friendly reminders about these Slime
Recipes:
Although
the final substance is non-toxic, it is NOT edible, so do not allow
small children or pets to play with the "Slime"
unattended.
The
Glue and the Borax can dry out your skin so use some kind of water
based hand lotion before handling the Slime.
The
Slime will not usually react to smooth surfaces, but watch out for
anything that is porous, such as fabrics: clothes, rugs, towels,
etc. are a bad combination with the Slime.
I
did not create this recipe and DO NOT claim responsibility for
anything that you may do during or after creation of this substance.
Enjoy
this funky stuff and Have Fun! Now on to the Slime...!
Slime
Recipe #1 Large Quantity Supplies:
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Container
# 1
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3/4
cup of Water.
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2
cups of White Glue
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Food
Color of Your Choice (A Few Drops)
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Container
# 2
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1
1/3 cups warm water
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3
Teaspoons of 20 Mule Team Borax Powder
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Mix
the ingredients up in separate containers as indicated. Be sure to
mix the ingredients thoroughly. Next pour the contents of Container
2 into Container 1 and then gently lift and turn the mixture until
only about a tablespoon of liquid is left. The mixture will be
sticky for a moment or two. Finally let the excess liquid drip off
and the slime will be ready for to use. You may want to store the
material in plastic freezer bags in the freezer to increase the
longevity. It will begin to mold if left out in open air too long.
Slime
Recipe #2 Small Quantity Supplies:
|
Container
# 1
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3/4
cup Warm Water
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8
oz white school glue
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15
Drops of the Food Color of Your Choice
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|
Container
# 2
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2
tablespoons warm water
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1
rounded teaspoon 20 Mule Team Borax
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1.
Measure into mixing bowl cup of white glue and 3/4 cup of water,
food coloring and mix until thoroughly smooth and milky. Be sure not
to over-color the mixture; a medium to pastel color is usually the
best that can be achieved considering the white glue.
2.
Once evenly colored and smooth, measure 1 teaspoon of Borax and 2
tablespoons of water into the second measuring cup. The Borax won't
dissolve entirely, but do your best. While stirring the glue
solution, slowly pour the Borax solution into it. Clumps and globs
will begin to form.
3.
Immediately remove these clumps and globs transferring them into the
empty mixing bowl. Do not worry if they seem too wet or sticky.
Repeat making and mixing the Borax solution until all of the glue
solution is used up (typical is 3 mixtures).
4.
Immediately soak the original mixing bowl and stirrer in warm water
with any remaining Borax. Drain any standing water from the bowl of
goo.
5.
Test the surface of the goo with your finger. If the mixture sticks
to your finger, wet your hands. If not, take the mass of goo and
begin to squeeze any pockets of water from the mixture, kneading the
mixture as you go. If you find any Borax crystals in the mixture,
run them briefly beneath a stream of cool water to remove. Let
mixture sit for 5 minutes to partially air cure.
6.
Finally the mixture is ready to play with. Be sure to store it in an
airtight container when through.

Guts
To make your dummies
look like their guts are oozing out try this the cheap way. On the
open end of the dummy use styrofoam, spider webs, or bunched white
trash bags to fill the end, then spray with red spray paint. Or use
styrofoam popcorn, dye with red food coloring, and glisten with Vaseline.
Giant Spider
Using newspaper
soaked in liquid starch cover an inflated balloon with one layer.
Let this dry and repeat 4-5 times. Using chicken wire or anything
else shape the legs and attach to the body using the same paper
mache method. Once finished spray paint it with your choice of
color. MORE TO COME!
New Projects
Severed Foot
Fill a shoe with spray foam
insulation and let it dry. Paint the foam blood red, with
maybe a little cream color to look like the bones, it will look like
the foot has been ripped off.
Pumpkin Eyes
Paint small gourds with white
paint and let dry. With a very small craft brush, paint on
some red veins and an eye in the middle. They look like big,
blood shot eyes.

In Case of Vampires
You can buy a shadow box and
paint it red. Buy a small garden stake, a fake bud of garlic
from a craft store, a large plastic crucifix a clear glass
decorative bottle (for holy water) and some alphabet sticker.
Arrange the items in the shadow box, glue them in place and close up
the box (follow the box's directions). Using your stickers
write "In Case of Vampires Break Glass." You can get
really creative with this too and do one for ghosts, zombies,
monsters, demons, etc.
Packaged Limbs
You can buy pre-packaged body
parts from the Halloween stores, but they generally cost a small
fortune. So make your own. Buy limbs on their own, these
are generally a few dollars a piece. Buy styrofoam meat
packages (or safely recycle your own. (make sure you wash them
really well with antibacterial soap). Put one limb per pack or
if their a few small ones (like fingers) a few together and cover
them with plastic wrap. You may want to tape the plastic wrap
to the back of the package.

Zombie Arms
You'll need latex gloves,
paper towel rolls (the cardboard part), paper mache, and strips of
newspaper, paint, masking tape.
Fill up the glove with air and
tie in a knot. Tape the hand to the paper towel
roll. You can crunch up the roll a bit to make joints or a
broken bone affect. Cover the whole thing really well with
paper mache and let it dry overnight.
Paint them gray with black
veins, bruises and bloody wounds. Get creative. You can
use the sleeves of an old shirt and make it tattered so you can see
the arm beneath. Then set them up so they look like they're
coming out of the ground, from under a table, behind the couch, out
of cauldron, a planter, under furniture etc.
Bloody Fountain
Buy a cheap fountain and add
among the rocks, little bones and eyeballs. Add to the water
fake blood (the kind you buy works best) and add until the water
flows looking like blood. (You won't want to use a good
fountain for this project because the blood tends to stain the
rocks).


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